2013 Merlot Estate

Winemaker Kevin Mott, who started at Woodward Canyon in 2003, described 2013 as “a good vintage but not as good as 2014 or 2012 owing to some heat spikes.” He explained: “Two thousand thirteen reminded me more of 2006 in its shots of excessive heat. The fruit element is down from the better vintages—slightly cooked out and not as bright.” He was concerned toward harvest time that the sugars were going up quickly while the pyrazines still remained and noted that if Woodward Canyon had let the fruit hang longer, they would have had to water back the must.

Mott is not a fan of post-fermentation maceration. He does a two-day pre-fermentation cold soak “to get color and bright fruit aromas,” then inoculates and does a short fermentation lasting five to seven days. And he likes to keep the macerations especially short for “the bigger, richer Cabs,” noting that “the cooler vintages back to the ‘80s and early ‘90s are still full of life, while the warmer vintages are more evolved.” Incidentally, as of vintage 2014 there are no more American oak barrels used here.