Today’s #MerlotThursday wine is a rare treat: A classic Bordeaux-style blend from the rocky and steep terrain of the Blue Ridge mountains. The marker is Early Mountain Vineyards, a boutique producer in Madison, Virginia. They are specialists in structured red blends from Bordeaux varieties, sometimes with the addition of Tannat.
Merlot anchors two Early Mountain labels: Eluvium and RISE. (It also heavily supports Cabernet Franc in the Novum blend.) Virginia Merlot is not as well-known as Virginia Cabernet Franc–but thanks to my Virginia wine-loving friends, I’ve been able to taste several this year. Early Mountain always impresses with their deft blending craft and an eye-popping combo of force and finesse.
The 2017 Eluvium uses grapes from various mountain sites to show off the range of Merlot. The core of the wine (72%) is old, low-vigor vines Merlot vines from the Quaker Run vineyard’s West and East Blocks. A long, dry growing season produced concentrated fruit with plenty of structure, tannin, and flavor. A higher proportion of Petit Verdot is sometimes used to gird the Eluvium blend–but due to the strength of this Merlot vintage, the Petit Verdot has been dialed down to an entirely manageable 26%.
An inky, black-cherry color accompanies a rich and smooth nose of smooshed black cherries, baking chocolate, light earth, mocha, and almonds. It smells amazing–but like a cookie fresh from the oven, it’s hands-off time no matter how great the temptation. It’s a wine that rewards (no, requires) a long decant.
After 90 minutes in the glass, the luscious fruit relaxes and shows its feral side: Smoked meat, forest berries, and a light green note of mulch and branches. Soft black berries and extra-ripe wild strawberry are delicately seasoned with cinnamon, light cedar, anise, orange peel, and menthol.
It’s often said that the best wines tell a story, but this one is more like a mini-series. Waiting yet another hour unlocks more cherry/plum fruit and savory flavors of pemmican, along with hints of black tea leaf, graphite, and smoke.
Eluvium is a strong blend, but with a carefully moderated structure: Medium-plus acid, body, and tannin, with the tannins packing just enough grip to anchor the juicy berries. Big acid, vegetal flavors, and rough tannins are rarely found in Bordeaux-style blends from Virginia. These are fruit-lovers’ wines of the best kind. They’re sophisticated, but never challenging to enjoy. (This is, perhaps, a core theme of Merlot Thursday: There’s something refreshing about drinking an age-worthy, well-made wine that also just tastes really good.)
At nine years of age, the 2017 Eluvium is probably reaching or nearing its peak. The winery recommends drinking your stash by 2030. Decant, decant, decant–and taste at intervals for best results.
Blend of Merlot (72%), Petit Verdot (26%), Cabernet Sauvignon (2%) fermented with ambient yeast. Aged 17 months in French barrique (40% new) and a year in bottle prior to release. 482 cases produced.
Thanks to Jesse Garrett for the epic pour! Jesse writes about Virginia (and now Texas) wine on his Substack–go check it out!
Bottle: Early Mountain “Eluvium” Virginia Red Blend (2017)
Variety: Merlot (72%), Petit Verdot (26%), Cabernet Sauvignon (2%)
ABV: 14.6%
Suggested retail: $55
My rating: 9.3 (out of 10)
On Thursdays, we Merlot! Pour yourself a glass and join in. (You can view archived #MerlotThursday reviews here.)
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
Leave a Comment