La Jota - Merlot 2019 (750ml)
La Jota - Merlot 2019 (750ml)
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2019 MERLOT NAPA VALLEY
H I S T O R Y
The wines of La Jota have deep roots in Napa Valley. Back in 1888, winemaking pioneer W.S. Keyes planted some of the first vines on Howell Mountain, and 10 years later his contemporary, Fredrick Hess, built a stone winery and established La Jota Vineyard Co., named for its location on the Mexican parcel Rancho La Jota. Both men won medals for their Howell Mountain wines in the Paris Exposition of 1900. Today, La Jota Vineyard Co. proudly carries on this great legacy with its small-production mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and Chardonnay. All La Jota wines are sourced from the winery’s estate and from nearby W.S. Keyes Vineyard, and they capture the intense fruit and mineral complexity of these cool-climate origins.
V I N E Y A R D
The La Jota Vineyard lies high upon a volcanic plateau, looking east over Napa Valley. Surrounded by pine, fir, oak and madrone trees, the estate stands out because of its cool, windswept climate. Here we look to vineyard blocks that produce soft-textured Cabernet Sauvignon for wines of earlier approachability, and where the decomposed granite soils of our W.S. Keyes Vineyard impart a pop of bright fruit character and broader tannins.
W I N E M A K I N G
We hand-harvested grapes into small, 30-pound boxes to prevent crushing, and then we brought them to the winery for hand-sorting. After destemming and light crushing, the must was cold-soaked for gentle color, flavor and tannin extraction. Winemaker Chris Carpenter fermented the juice with native yeast in a combination of open and closed-top stainless-steel tanks. Following gentle basket press, the wine underwent in-barrel malolactic fermentation,
rounding the acidity and integrating the vanilla character of French oak. The wine was barrel-aged for 21 months and bottled unfined and unfiltered.
W I N E M A K E R ’ S C O M M E N T S
“The 2019 vintage brought us lots of winter rain, frequent fog events in the spring, and a mild summer with just a few short heat spikes. Uneventful fall weather allowed for extended hang time, and our last fruit came off the vines November 1. The 2019 vintage unequivocally contributes to the rich story of Merlot grown in the volcanic soils of Howell Mtn. Rich and dense, the wine sings with flavors of plum, raspberry and graphite. Beautiful at this youthful stage, this Merlot will surely age gracefully over the next decade or two.” - Christopher Carpenter, Winemaker
T E C H N I C A L N O T E S
BLEND COMPOSITION
81.5% Merlot
11.5% Petit Verdot
7% Tannat
HARVEST DATES
October 22 to November 1
FERMENTATION
Native Yeast Fermentation
MACERATION
20 days
BARREL AGING
21 months in French oak (63% new)
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
14.5%
WINE PH
3.44
WINE ACIDITY
.66g/100ml
VINEYARD
La Jota Vineyard
W.S. Keyes Vineyard
A C C L A I M
95 Points - James Suckling,
H I S T O R Y O F A C C L A I M
2 0 2 1
96 Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent, April 2024
96 Points - James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, November 2023
95+ Points - Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, December 2023
2 0 2 0
Did not produce 2020 Merlot
2 0 1 9
95 Points - James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2022
93 Points - Antonio Galloni, Vinous, January 2022
93 Points - Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, December 2021
2 0 1 8
95 Points - James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2021
94 + Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, January 2021
2 0 1 7
94 Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, October 2019
94 Points - Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast Magazine, March 2021
2 0 1 6
95 Points & #37 Top 100 Wines of 2019 - Kim Marcus, Wine Spectator, December 2019
96 Points - Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, February 2019
94 + Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, October 2018
2 0 1 5
94 Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, December 2017
93 Points - Kim Marcus, Wine Spectator, August 2018
93 Points - Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast Magazine, November 2018
2 0 1 4
94 Points - Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast Magazine, March 2018
2 0 1 3
95 Points - Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast Magazine, March 2017
94 Points - Robert M. Parker Jr., Robert Parker Wine Advocate, October 2015
Shipping & Delivery Policy
Shipping & Delivery Policy
Our Shipping & Delivery Policy
Yiannis Wine ships orders through FedEx. The shipping fees vary depending on where in the U.S your shipment is going. For any questions or concerns regarding shipment pricing and restrictions please feel free to contact us directly. We are able to ship to all but the following states: Utah, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. With some of these states, for example Alabama, we are able to ship to an ABC store nearest to you.
It is rare to have a shipment damaged during shipping, however, in the event you do receive a damaged delivery, please let us know. We will need pictures and proof of damage so that we can resolve your claim. Damaged claims will not be accepted without proof. We will replace the wine or issue a credit. The choice is yours!
Deliveries that contain alcohol REQUIRE AN ADULT SIGNATURE. You must be 21 or older to purchase and accept said deliveries.
We cannot ship to PO Boxes, APO/FPO addresses, or internationally.
Shipping fees are not refundable under any circumstances.
There is an additional charge to re-route orders already in transit.
Some items are removed from original packaging, and placed in protective shipping containers to ensure safe delivery.
While most orders are shipped the day they are placed. The demand for limited supplies will occasionally deplete our stock of a paticular product, in this case it will generally take an additional 1 - 2 business days to receive the product and fufill the order.
Although it is rare, if there was a packing error, we would like to resolve it for you! In the event that we shipped an incorrect item, we may ask you to hold on to those items and the exsisting packaging so that we can arrange for a return pick up. If you find that items are missing from your order, we are happy to assist you in reshipping the missing items or processing a credit for the missing item/items. We will provide a return label for incorrect items and credit will be processd upon the return of the item to the warehouse. Reshipment of the correct items will be at no extra charge.
Occasionally a chosen vintage of a wine may sell out or be replaced by a new release after your order is placed. Bottles of wine that are under $20, will not hold up an order and we will simply automatically substitute the wine with the comparable vintage. Please be assured that we will only substitute with a vintage for the same wine. Wine that is valued more than $20 per bottle, we will attempt to contact the customer. After two attempts, the available vintage will be automatically shipped out. (The return policy of $15 return shipping costs, and 15% restocking fee will be enforced.)
Yiannis Wine will not be held liable for damages to orders due to weather conditions during shipping. Potential exposure to extreme heat or cold may damage items during shipping. As we can not be held responsible for products damaged due to weather, we suggest you choose FedEx Express to ship your items and/or add ice packs to your order (during extreme heat) to help prevent damages. We can also place your orders on weather hold until weather conditions improve. Wine is usually fine if it is exposed to some heat (as that is the way wine is made.....Heated so the yeast is activated). If your wine is warm, please place them in a cool, dark room so the wine can "settle."
Most returns will be accepted, but ALL bottles must be returned to get credit. A half bottle or empty bottle of something that did not taste GOOD is fine to return, but the customer will not receive full credit if the bottle is not included.
Sometimes an order is returned to our warehouse after several delivery attempts at the address provided by the customer. We are happy to reship the order however, reshipment fees will apply. Please contact us and we will assist you with the reshipment arrangements.
We are happy to assist with any returns for items purchased that you no longer want or need. Please let us know and we will arrange for the return and issue a credit or refund for your returned items, less the return shipping and handling charges.
We offer some of the most diverse wines in the business, and we are happy to help you choose wines and provide recommendations by our sommeliers if you desire. Everyone has different tastes and Yiannis Wine will not be held responsible for customer choice. While ratings, testimonials, and reviews may influence your decision, the ultimate judgement is yours.
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