Twomey Merlot Napa Valley 2003

Rating: 93/100 - As reviewed by Wine Spectator

Rating: 89/100 - As reviewed by International Wine Cellar in Issue 130, January/February 2007 ($65) Red-ruby. Dark plum, redcurrant, flowers and spices on the nose. Rich, plump and ripe but dry and serious, with complex flavors of plum, redcurrant, tobacco, leather and mocha. Finishes with lush, ripe tannins and a rather sophisticated texture.Lacks only the length for an outstanding rating.

Rating: 90/100 - As reviewed by Vinfolio in Issue 110 Twomey is from a single vineyard source and his winemaking team, led by Daniel Baron, use time honored techniques from Europe seldom seen here: a barrel racking process called soutirage traditional employing a removable, reed wrapped bung plug at the bottom of the barrel that is replaced with a removable bronze valve for the purpose of draining the barrel into another container. The process is less disruptive than a pump and has been used in Pomerol for centuries, according to material provided by the winery. Blended with 4% Cabernet Franc and sourced from the Soda Canyon Ranch planted to French read more...rather than California clones. The nose is redolent with creme de cassis aromas. The palate is licorice, cherry and blackberry with some gentle herb component.    (hide)

Twomey is from a single vineyard source and his winemaking team, led by Daniel Baron, use time honored techniques from Europe seldom seen here: a barrel racking process called soutirage traditional employing a removable, reed wrapped bung plug at the bottom of the barrel that is replaced with a removable bronze valve for the purpose of draining the barrel into another container. The process is less disruptive than a pump and has been used in Pomerol for centuries, according to material provided by the winery. Blended with 4% Cabernet Franc and sourced from the Soda Canyon Ranch planted to French read more...rather than California clones. The nose is redolent with creme de cassis aromas. The palate is licorice, cherry and blackberry with some gentle herb component.    (hide)

Created by the same family that produces the impressive Cabernets of Silver Oak Cellars, the 2003 Twomey Merlot is a robust, yet elegant wine that balances intense fruit with suppleness. It displays a garnet color and a complexnose of plum, blackberry, dark chocolate and a hint of bay leaves. It has a smooth, velvety mouth-feel that builds to a crescendo offruit and chocolate flavors and a lovely, long finish of black fruits and violets. Properly cellared this full-bodied Merlot should provide drinking pleasure until 2017. Twomey Cellars originates in a single Napa Valley vineyard, the Soda read more...Canyon Ranch, where Merlot grows with such extraordinary complexity that it calls for a wine of its own. To showcase the brilliance and balance of these grapes, winemaker Daniel Baron and the owners of the vineyard, Ray Duncan and his family, incorporate the Old World, labor-intensive approach used by classified growths in Bordeaux. Daniel Baron, who learned to make wine this way while working with some of the greatest winemakers and cellarworkers of Pomerol and St. Emilion, demonstrates that the meticulous care involved provides a pure reflection of the Duncan's vineyard.    (hide)

The 2003 Twomey Merlot is a robust, yet elegant wine that balances intense fruit with suppleness. It displays a garnet color and a complex nose of plum, blackberry, dark chocolate and a hint of bay leaves. It has a smooth, velvety mouth-feel that builds to a crescendo of fruit and chocolate flavors and a lovely, long finish of black fruits and violets. Properly cellared this full-bodied Merlot should provide drinking pleasure until 2017.