2008 Meritaggio Estate

Donald Long had the foresight to amass a thousand acres of land on Pritchard Hill in the 1950s and early '60, including parcels that are today owned by Ovid and Colgin. He began planting vines with his son David in the late '70s, starting with chardonnay but then grafting the vines over to reds in the late '80s and '90s, and his plan was always to sell off his grapes. But under the direction of David Long, the winery began bottling in in the mid-'80s. The winery adopted organic farming as of the fall of 2008, and also hired Nile Zacherle, who formerly made wine at Barnett and Chateau Montelena, in time for the 2008 harvest (he also blended and finished the 2007s). The wines I tasted are all from estate fruit, but David Arthur still makes a few whites from other vineyards, including a sauvignon blanc from Yountville.