2018 Clos Pegase Mitsuko's Vineyard Merlot

Clos Pegase is in Calistoga, Napa Valley. It was founded in 1984 by Jan and Mitsuko Shrem. Jan had spent several decades in the publishing industry in Japan before selling his company and devoting himself to learning winemaking. Today Clos Pegase owns about 400 acres of vineyards in Calistoga and Los Carneros. The estate is notable for its showcase winery, which was designed by celebrity architect Michael Graves and built in 1987. Also the Shrems' large collection of modern art is displayed inside the winery and outside in sculpture gardens. The estate produces a large portfolio of wines, from Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, to Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Rose and Syrah.

Napa Valley AVA is the most famous winemaking region in the United States and one of the most prestigious in the world. With nearly 43,000 acres of vineyards and more than 300 wineries, it is the heart of fine wine production in the United States. Winemaking started in Napa in 1838 when George C. Yount planted grapes and began producing wine commercially. Other winemaking pioneers followed in the late 19th century, including the founders of Charles Krug, Schramsberg, Inglenook and Beaulieu Vineyards. An infestation of phylloxera, an insect that attacks vine roots, and the onset of Prohibition nearly wiped out the nascent Napa wine industry in the early 20th century. But by the late 1950s and early 1960s Robert Mondavi and other visionaries were producing quality wines easily distinguishable from the mass-produced jug wines made in California’s Central Valley. Napa Valley’s AVA was established in 1983, and today there are 16 sub-appellations within the Napa Valley AVA. Many grapes grow well in Napa’s Mediterranean climate, but the region is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay is also very successfully cultivated, and about 30% of the AVA’s acreage is planted to white grapes, with the majority of those grapes being Chardonnay,

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.