Pedroncelli Bench Vineyards Merlot 2020
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Wilfred
Wong
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2020 Pedroncelli Signature Selection Bench Vineyards Merlot is firm and persistent on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine offers aromas and flavors of candied cherries, sandalwood, black fruits, and licorice. Try it with an oven-roasted eye of the round roast. Tasted: October 15, 2023, San Francisco, CA)
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Grape growing since 1927 in Sonoma County for four generations. Second, third and fourth generations work side-by-side today. The Pedroncelli family farms 105 acres of estate vineyard in northern Dry Creek Valley and sources fruit from neighboring growers making regionally focused, perfectly balanced, varietally correct wines. Pedroncelli wines are made with food, friends, and family in mind. California wines with an Old-World twist. Ever since John Pedroncelli, Sr. purchased his vineyard and a small winery in Sonoma County's Dry Creek Valley, two elements remain unchanged: the exceptional place the Pedroncelli family farms vineyards, and the family's dedication to making fine wines.
The climate, where the development in ripening grapes is protected from the heat by the marine fog intrusion in the evenings, is singular and unparalleled. Pedroncelli wines are regionally focused and site specific and we’ve learned to pair the right varietal with the best site creating great character. Half of all Zinfandel planted in Sonoma County is in Dry Creek Valley; it’s been growing here since the 1860s and on Pedroncelli's ranch since the early 1900s.
As a family winery who has farmed for 80 years in the Dry Creek Valley, they want the next generations to be able to continue farming in an environmentally sensitive way. The most important statement they can make about our wine is that they are here for the long term and protecting the environment is one way they will achieve that goal.
At Pedroncelli Winery, they practice sustainable winegrowing and, over the years, they have been reducing water use, building healthy soil, and protecting the vineyard environment. This is a comprehensive approach to vineyard management that involves all aspects of farming including human resources, viticulture, soil management, water management, pest management, habitat management, and wine quality.
With generous fruit and supple tannins, Merlot is made in a range of styles from everyday-drinking to world-renowned and age-worthy. Merlot is the dominant variety in the wines from Bordeaux’s Right Bank regions of St. Emilion and Pomerol, where it is often blended with Cabernet Franc to spectacular result. Merlot also frequently shines on its own, particularly in California’s Napa Valley. Somm Secret—As much as Miles derided the variety in the 2004 film, Sideways, his prized 1961 Château Cheval Blanc is actually a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
Home to a diverse array of smaller AVAs with varied microclimates and soil types, Sonoma County has something for every wine lover. Physically twice as large as Napa Valley, the region only produces about half the amount of wine but boasts both tremendous quality and variety. With its laid-back atmosphere and down-to-earth attitude, the wineries of Sonoma are appreciated by wine tourists for their friendliness and approachability. The entire county intends to become a 100% sustainable winegrowing region by 2019.
Sonoma County wines are produced with carefully selected grape varieties to reflect the best attributes of their sites—Dry Creek Valley’s consistent sunshine is ideal for Zinfandel, while the warm Alexander Valley is responsible for rich, voluptuous red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are important throughout the county, most notably in the cooler AVAs of Russian River, Sonoma Coast and Carneros. Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah have also found a firm footing here.