This Merlot was created by a team of winemaker Michel Rolland of Michel Rolland, who serves as a consultant to many of the world's top wineries, and Washington state wine visionary Allen Shoop.
Michel Rolland, Pomerol winemaker and consultant to the world's top wineries, provides the vision for this special limited release wine.
A rich, concentrated wine with many layers.
It has a dark fruit aroma with hints of tobacco.
On the palate it's rich, with luscious wild blackberry and chocolate covered black cherry wrapped in irresistible spicy clove notes.
Beautifully complex flavours combine with the weight of the wine to leave a rich, satisfying finish.
As with previous vintages, the 2018 Pedestal Merlot was primarily planted on the Wahluke Slope.
This is the warmest region of the Columbia Valley, producing Merlot with layers of lushness, dark fruit and beautiful aromas.
A small amount of Dionysus Vineyards Merlot is used to build further layers and complexity.
Cabernet Sauvignon from Red Mountain's Taptel Vineyard provides the structure, while Malbec from Sonnet Vineyard adds concentration and beautiful violet-like aromas.
A late start to spring led to a warm start to the 2018 growing season.
Temperatures remained fairly warm throughout the summer, but the weather eased considerably in early September, allowing for longer hang times.
Harvest conditions were ideal, with the Columbia Valley settling into a pattern of warm days and cool nights, allowing the grapes to ripen sufficiently without losing acidity.
The result is a well-balanced, concentrated wine with attractive texture and richness.
The hand-harvested grapes were sorted twice before fermentation to remove stems that can impart harsh tannins.
Most of the lots were then cold soaked to develop richness and flavor before whole-cluster fermentation in 1,500 gallon upright French wood tanks.
Gentle pump-overs during fermentation enhance color and add richness to the flavor.
The finished wine is then aged for 22 months in French oak barrels (85% new) from two of the highest quality coopers, Sylvain and Millet, located next to Michel Rolland's hometown of Saint-Emilion.
Long Shadows was founded in 2002 by Washington wine visionary Allen Shoop.
Shoop served as President and CEO of Chateau Ste. Michelle from 1984 to 2000, where he developed international winemaking partnerships with world-renowned Italian Piero Antinori (Col Solare) and German Dr. Loosen (Eroica Riesling).
Building on this success, Long Shadows was established to bring an elite group of great winemakers from the world's major wine regions to Washington State to create world-class wines that showcase the excellence of Washington State's Columbia Valley grape growing region.
Each winemaker partners individually with Shoop and the winery's resident winemaker, Jill Nicoll, to create their own quintessential, top-quality wine using their own vinification techniques and bottled in their own unique style.