Dear Cellar Society Members,
Summer greetings from all of us here at 1850 Wine Cellars! I hope this letter finds everyone well and, just like the vines in the vineyard, having fun in the sun this season. There are a lot of exciting happenings in the winery and vineyard to share with you.
We are currently in the midst of another run of bottling in the winery. We are bottling our delicious reds that have been aging gracefully in the winery for the past couple of years and will bottle age for another year or two before their release. We are looking forward to eventually sharing them with you and I hope that they knock your socks off.
Meanwhile, we are also gearing up for harvest by creating our crush plan and preparing the winery for that exciting time of year. From my perspective, harvest will be here in a blink of an eye! We are also carefully monitoring the ripening process in the vineyard. So far, this growing season has been progressing steadily with an earlier than normal onset of fruit. This is a promising sign for a long growing season which gives the fruit potential for a lot of flavor development. We love to see this!
For this upcoming Cellar Society release, we are thrilled to introduce everyone to our newest vintage of Meritage, the 2022. This Bordeaux-inspired blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon was a co-fermentation of these two varietals and it features bright and fresh aromatics as well as rich flavors of ripe dark cherry that mingle nicely with delightful notes of chocolatey spice. The structure of this wine is really nice on the palate as smooth tannins coupled with ample acidity fill the mouth and linger on the finish.
We are doing something fun for this release as well - we will be re-releasing the 2021 Meritage so you can do a vertical tasting of two vintages of one of our flag ship blends here at 1850. The 2021 Meritage is more Cabernet Sauvignon focused and you’ll also notice a little more savory and earthy notes on the 2021 as it is a year more mature than the newest release.
I hope that you can join us at our release party on August 1st and 2nd. As always, Chef Lisa will be making delicious and unique food pairings for these wines, which will be served along with our 2023 Chardonnay at the release party.
Here’s to enjoying long days and beautiful sunsets with a glass of 1850 this Summer!
We are currently in the midst of another run of bottling in the winery. We are bottling our delicious reds that have been aging gracefully in the winery for the past couple of years and will bottle age for another year or two before their release. We are looking forward to eventually sharing them with you and I hope that they knock your socks off.
Meanwhile, we are also gearing up for harvest by creating our crush plan and preparing the winery for that exciting time of year. From my perspective, harvest will be here in a blink of an eye! We are also carefully monitoring the ripening process in the vineyard. So far, this growing season has been progressing steadily with an earlier than normal onset of fruit. This is a promising sign for a long growing season which gives the fruit potential for a lot of flavor development. We love to see this!
For this upcoming Cellar Society release, we are thrilled to introduce everyone to our newest vintage of Meritage, the 2022. This Bordeaux-inspired blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon was a co-fermentation of these two varietals and it features bright and fresh aromatics as well as rich flavors of ripe dark cherry that mingle nicely with delightful notes of chocolatey spice. The structure of this wine is really nice on the palate as smooth tannins coupled with ample acidity fill the mouth and linger on the finish.
We are doing something fun for this release as well - we will be re-releasing the 2021 Meritage so you can do a vertical tasting of two vintages of one of our flag ship blends here at 1850. The 2021 Meritage is more Cabernet Sauvignon focused and you’ll also notice a little more savory and earthy notes on the 2021 as it is a year more mature than the newest release.
I hope that you can join us at our release party on August 1st and 2nd. As always, Chef Lisa will be making delicious and unique food pairings for these wines, which will be served along with our 2023 Chardonnay at the release party.
Here’s to enjoying long days and beautiful sunsets with a glass of 1850 this Summer!
Cheers!
Brian Darwazeh
Winemaker, 1850 Wine Cellars
2021 Meritage
Jodar Vineyard, El Dorado
Jodar Vineyard, El Dorado
TASTING NOTES:
We love this wine’s berry jam opulence with baking spice and pepper
aromas. It has a mouthwatering juiciness on the mid palate with
hearty tannins throughout and berry pie flavors. With a structure
that is sturdy yet approachable, the finish on this wine lingers with a
rich taste similar to dark chocolate.
We love this wine’s berry jam opulence with baking spice and pepper
aromas. It has a mouthwatering juiciness on the mid palate with
hearty tannins throughout and berry pie flavors. With a structure
that is sturdy yet approachable, the finish on this wine lingers with a
rich taste similar to dark chocolate.
WINEMAKING NOTES:
The components of this blend were all fermented separately at the
peak of their ripeness, driving rich and full fruit flavors. After primary
fermentations were completed, extended macerations took place
before pressing to extract more tannin and structure from the resulting
wines. During this extended maceration, malolactic fermentation took
place naturally, softening the acid structure in the resulting wine. The
finished wine was then pressed, blended, and aged in oak.
AGING:
This wine was aged in 75% new French medium plus toasted oak and
25% new American medium toasted oak. This oak blend was used to
create a balance between subtle baking spice nuances and a rich and
round mouthfeel.
This wine will age for another 5 years from its release in January 2025.
FOOD PAIRING:
Taste this wine with Chef Lisa Scott’s Jambalaya at our release party!
She chose that pairing because this wine is delicious with Andouille
Sausage and the complex flavors of Jambalaya. It also pairs well with
her cream of mushroom soup! This wine pairs well with full-flavored,
aged cheeses like gouda or sharp cheddar. Its acidity will balance with
a variety of tomato-based dishes. Its tannins will stand up to the flavors
of grilled beef or lamb. Try it with grilled, stuffed portobellas for a
vegetarian or vegan pairing.
2022 Meritage, El Dorado
TASTING NOTES:
We love this wine’s ripe black cherry and plum aromas with hints of
cedar, vanilla and cocoa. It has a plush palate with mouthwatering
juiciness mid-way, velvety tannins throughout, and lingering dark
chocolate and berry pie flavors on the finish. This wine’s medium to
full bodied structure is sturdy for aging yet approachable to enjoy now.
We love this wine’s ripe black cherry and plum aromas with hints of
cedar, vanilla and cocoa. It has a plush palate with mouthwatering
juiciness mid-way, velvety tannins throughout, and lingering dark
chocolate and berry pie flavors on the finish. This wine’s medium to
full bodied structure is sturdy for aging yet approachable to enjoy now.
WINEMAKING NOTES:
The merlot and cabernet sauvignon from this vintage were picked very
ripe and brought into the winery on the same day. This allowed us to
destem, crush and then co ferment these two varietals using a strain
of yeast that was isolated from the Bordeaux region of France. After
fermentation finished, the skins were left in the tank on the finished
wine for a week prior to pressing. This builds up the overall structure
of the wine while creating a smooth tannin profile. The 2022 vintage in
El Dorado County developed nice and smooth tannins on the palate
and this blend is a great example of that.
AGING:
After pressing, this blend was aged in three new American oak barrels
and one new French oak barrel for 18 months prior to bottling and
was bottle aged for 2 years prior to its release in the summer of 2026.
It tastes great now, with a nice balance of fruit and baking spice, but
will age nicely for another 6 to 8 years.
FOOD PAIRING:
Enjoy this wine with Chef Lisa Scott’s Grilled Plum, Shallot and Fresh
Chevre Stuffed Pork Tenderloin at our wine club release party. This
wine pairs well with full-flavored, aged cheeses like gouda or sharp
cheddar. Its acidity will balance with a variety of tomato-based dishes.
Its tannins will stand up to the flavors of grilled beef or lamb. Try it
with grilled, stuffed portobellas for a vegetarian or vegan pairing. This
blend will balance beautifully umami and earth-forward dishes like
Chef Lisa’s wild mushroom ragu, truffle-based risottos, or roasted root
vegetables.