OVERVIEW
Merlot excels at our estate Margarita Vineyard and has been a mainstay in our small
family of wines since day one. Here, ancient sea bed soils combine with a long
growing season to yield a Merlot with silky dark fruit flavors and a luscious texture,
resulting in what has become one of the Paso Robles region’s most notable Merlots.

VINEYARD
The 2020 vintage comes from three blocks at Margarita Vineyard that exhibit their
own distinct qualities, bringing added dimension to the finished wine. These blocks are
situated along the slopes of an uplifted ancient sea bed, which provides the type of highly
calcareous soils that are coveted by winemakers worldwide. Block 15 is a newer planting
that delivers dark, velvety black fruit flavors. Meanwhile, Block 5 yields a more nuanced
character with both softness and power. Finally, Block 4 presents a brighter spectrum of
red fruit flavors. Margarita Vineyard stands alone as the southernmost vineyard in the
Paso Robles region, nestled into the rugged Santa Lucia Mountain range just 14 miles
from the Pacific Ocean in the Santa Margarita Ranch AVA. The mountain peaks act as a
gateway for cool marine air, resulting in an extended growing season that yields fruit with
uncommon depth and structure. The peaks are also testaments to the tectonic forces that
created Margarita Vineyard’s rare diversity of soils, ultimately fostering natural complexity
in our wines.
WINEMAKING
Our aim is to capture the signature velvety fruit character of Merlot while showcasing
the cooler climate nuances and structure inherent to Margarita Vineyard. The 2020
growing season was marked by a mild spring and summer, punctuated by two latesummer heat waves that accelerated the pace of ripening into harvest. After harvesting
and destemming, each lot was cold soaked for 48 hours prior to fermentation for a gentle
extraction of initial color and flavor. After fermentation and light pressing, the lots were
aged for 17 months in a combination of French (65%) and American (35%) oak barrels,
20 percent of which featured new oak. Small lots of Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel
were incorporated into the final blend for added complexity and mouthfeel.
TASTING NOTES
The 2020 Merlot opens with enticing red fruit aromas joined by hints of dried herbs and
toasted oak. A round, supple texture delivers mouthfilling flavors of raspberry, plum, black
cherry, cocoa dust and baking spice. Lingering complexities of cedar and mushroom elevate
the senses on a silky, polished finish.
CUISINE PAIRING
The rounded textures and complex flavors of the 2020 Merlot pair well with rack of
lamb, herbed roast beef, mushroom risotto, and Merlot-braised pork chops.

VINEYARD:
Margarita Vineyard
SOIL TYPE:
Ancient Sea Bed
HARVEST DATES:
September 26 through October 8
AGING REGIMEN:
17 months in French and American
oak barrels (20% new)
Alcohol: 14.3%
TA: .62
pH: 3.81

Currently, The Good Pour offers in-store and curbside pickup for online orders at The Good Pour Longwood. We are working to launch shipping services for select states, so stay tuned!