2001 Provenance Paras Vineyard Merlot

Provenance Vineyards focuses on provenance, the French idea that the geographical origin or source of grapes is integral to the character of the wine. Located in the heart of Rutherford, Provenance owns estate vineyards but also sources grapes from such legendary vineyards as Three Palms, Georges III and Wildwood. The estate’s inaugural release was a 1999 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon, and it specializes in single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. David Galzignato is winemaker. The estate is owned by Treasury Wine Estate, an Australian enterprise with a portfolio of premium wine estates.

Mount Veeder AVA was established in 1993, though its origins as a wine producing district date to the 19th century. A German Presbyterian pastor named Peter Veeder was one of the first landowners in the area, and by 1864 one of his neighbors, a German sea captain named Stelham Wing, was producing wine commercially. The area continued to attract German agricultural entrepreneurs, some of whom established the estate that would later become the Christian Brothers Mont La Salle winery. Today the AVA includes about 1,000 acres of vineyards, most of them at relatively high altitudes. The Mayacamas vineyard, for instance, is at 2,400 feet. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most frequently planted grape, followed by Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

The Merlot grape is such a deep blue that it is named for the blackbird. It’s an early ripening grape and one of the primary varietals used In Bordeaux. Merlot is also grown in the "International style," which is harvested later to bring out more tannins and body.