1997 Montana Barrique Matured Reserve Merlot

Montana Wines was started in New Zealand in 1934 when a Croatian immigrant Ivan Yukich planted vines. In 1961 Yukich and his sons started making wine under the Montana label. Over the decades it became on the largest producers in the country. In 2002 the estate was purchased by Corbans Wines and is today part of Brancott Estate, New Zealand’s largest wine company.

Marlborough is New Zealand’s most important wine region. With about 56,834 acres of vineyards it produces 75% of all the wine made in New Zealand. Located on the north end of South Island, the region enjoys many hours of sunshine per year, moderate daytime temperatures, low rainfall and cool evenings, all of which make for intensely flavored wine grapes. The stony, well-draining, fertile soil comes from ancient glaciers. Farmers planted vineyards in Marlborough as early as 1873, but wine making was sporadic and mostly targeted toward the bulk wine market until the 1970s, when the region’s potential for winemaking was fully understood. Today it is one of the fastest growing wine producing regions in the world, with new estates opening regularly. Sauvignon Blanc is king here, and about 85% of the region’s vineyards are planted to Sauvignon Blanc. Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc burst on the international scene in the mid-1980s, when Sauvignon Blancs produced by Cloudy Bay began earning international acclaim. (Ironically, the winery takes its name from the nearby bay, which was named “Cloudy Bay” in 1770 by Captain Cook, who deemed it murky and inhospitable.) Pinot Noir is the second most planted grape in Marlborough, followed by Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Viognier.

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.