2016 Mt. Brave Merlot Mount Veeder Napa Valley 750 ml

The Mt. Brave Merlot from the slopes of Mt. Veeder is an incredible wine. It's one of our favorite luxe Napa Valley Merlots because Mt. Brave wines, while they cellar similarly to Bordeaux, they’re priced to enjoy regularly.

In the glass, this wine demands attention with its powerful dark plummy fruit profile, crushed violets, and sandalwood notes. The Merlot is grown on the limestone slopes of Mount Veeder, and is vinified by a winemaker who has truly conquered the mountains. 

During our sommelier days, we'd often get some version of “I love Napa Cabernet- wow my senses, but not my wallet." That was our cue to grab the Mt. Brave.  We would sneak into the cellar and grab this bottle from the shelf without even looking, and splash it into a decanter and rush back tableside, decanter and glasses in hand. 

Guests would be clearly impressed by the wine, and then suspicious that we didn't show them the bottle. Next would come the big question:  “How much is this Cabernet?” We'd share that its origins and value price to stunned (and happy) surprise every time. Over the years, this bottle converted hundreds of Merlot skeptics. 

The combination of 100-point winemaking by Chris Carpenter (of Lokoya and Cardinale fame) and the Mt. Veeder site make this Merlot more than the sum of its parts. The vineyards sit at 1,400ft-1,800 feet above sea level where temperatures remain cooler than the valley floor, and are exposed to more, and more intense sunlight throughout the day. As a result, the berries are small and concentrated and gain optimal ripeness. The wine has the structure of the mountain with sturdy tannins and the beauty of the Merlot variety with lush berry compote.