Our 2012 Meritage is a full-bodied blend with excellent structure and concentrated flavours. But what, exactly, gives it the name ‘Meritage’?
In the late 1980s, a group of American vintners joined forces to come up with a name for the type of blended wine that they had begun producing in the popular Bordeaux style. The wines were a blend of ‘noble’ grape varietals that can typically be found in the Bordeaux region of France, famous for its excellent vintages.
In 1988, this New World wine had yet to receive a recognizable name and so the alliance of winemakers decided to open up the naming process to an international competition. The chosen name ‘Meritage’, is a combination of the words ‘merit’ and ‘heritage’. ‘Merit’ was chosen to reflect the quality of the grapes while ‘Heritage’ was chosen to recognize the centuries-old blending process that was involved in making the wine.
For a red Meritage, the grape varietals that can be blended include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, St. Macaire, Gros Verdot, or Carmenère. If any other grape varietal is included in the blend, the wine can not be called a Meritage. The blend constitutes two or more of the grapes listed with no one varietal comprising more than 90% of the blend.
Our 2012 Meritage is an elegant but intense blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Merlot (27%), and Cabernet Franc (23%). Each varietal was individually fermented and barrel aged for 6 months before blending and then aged 12 additional months in French and American oak.
Red Meritage wines have been some of the world’s highest rated wines for years and are prized for their ability to age well while being highly drinkable in their youth.
You can try our 2012 Meritage in Vancouver’s top restaurants listed HERE or order as part of mixed case, with our 2012 Syrah, HERE.
Cheers!