In celebration of #MerlotMe month this October, we're unvaulting some of our best vintage Merlots of the past two decades! Only a few cases remain of this library vintage, so don't hesitate to secure your taste of 2005.
Library Wine
Our Napa Valley wines are our most popular. These complex blends represent the best from our five estate vineyards.
We co-fermented a splash of Petit Verdot with the Merlot to fully integrate the tannins, creating a full-bodied Merlot that has gained complexity and silkiness with age. It has an exceedingly unique bouquet, with ripe fruit notes abounding. On the palate, a power play. The wine is strong and full-bodied, but with a refinement that allows for a pleasant transition to a long, comforting aftertaste.
Vintage
About The Vintage
Our Napa Valley grapes benefited from a long, cool growing season in 2005. The year began with heavy rains and then a spell of 80-degree weather in early March triggered budbreak. The generally cool summer allowed the grapes to ripen smoothly and completely, without any major heat spikes to confuse them.
Vineyard
About The Vineyard
Our Merlot grows both in our cooler American Canyon and Carneros vineyards and in our warmer Yountville vineyard. We blend Merlot from all three vineyards to create a balanced, complex wine that combines the richness and depth from the warmer climates and the perfume and bright fruitiness from the cooler climates. We farm all our certified organic vineyards naturally.
Upon founding Grgich Hills, it was of utmost importance that both Mike Grgich and Austin Hills were equally represented on the winery’s label. Mike chose to represent his Croatian heritage by including the Croatian Coat of Arms, a red and white checkered shield, which also appears on Croatia’s national flag. The winery’s Croatian roots are celebrated with an annual festival, Croatian wines and menu items, and ties to Grgich Hill’s sister winery, Grgic Vina, located on Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast.
Hills Family Crest
Upon founding Grgich Hills, it was of utmost importance that both Mike Grgich and Austin Hills were equally represented on the winery’s label. Austin Hills chose to represent the Hills family with an element of the family crest, a rearing horse holding a baton. For generations, the Hills family were known in San Francisco for their thriving coffee business, Hills Brothers Coffee Co., and the Hills horse appearing on the winery’s label marked a new venture in the Hills legacy.
