2016 Merlot Estate

Marty Clubb described 2018 and 2017 as outstanding white wine vintages, with 2018 a touch earlier and riper. The grapes in 2017 benefitted from longer hang time owing to the smoky period at the end of August and early September but the second half of September was “naturally cool,” said Clubb.

Although Clubb has scaled back annual production from a recent high of 48,000 cases to 45,000, he’s still working in a very tight facility, with the barrels stacked five high. Taransaud is his top choice among coopers, but Clubb also purchases barriques from Saint-Martin, Boutes and Hermitage. (He told me that he's considering a building addition that would give him the space to use some larger-format barrels.) Incidentally, Clubb is now using the new sugarcane corks made by Nomacorc for all of his white wines. These corks are guaranteed to be TCA-free and allow customers more flexibility to specify oxygen permeability. They also have a much lower carbon footprint as they're made from plant-based material.