Floral TerranesMerlot 2022 (750ml)

The 2021 Merlot was sourced from a top secret, two-acre backyard vineyard in Orient (on the outer reaches of the North Fork, Long Island), planted in the 1990s. The whole clusters spontaneously fermented in open top containers with punch downs before being racked into a neutral oak barrel. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, with low sulfur addition, as per normal at Floral Terranes.

Since the beginning Erik has had an obvious thing for Merlot – obviously Long Island has a thing for Merlot. Yet Floral Terranes always gives the wine its own signature. My sense is that this is the wine they baby the most, with daily loving punch downs, etc. What to say? This is deeply plummy and Merlot-y, textural yet there is also the brightness of red fruit, a wonderful bounce for such a mouth-coating and deeply satisfying wine. Yum.