<H1>2004 Imagery Merlot, Sunny Slope Vineyard, Sonoma Valley (750ml) -- Benziger & Imagery Winery Shopping Cart</H1>
<B>$42.00</B>
-- <I>This is a rich, fleshy style of Merlot, that is mildly oaky, and lightly tannic; indeed, one of the fullest Merlots produced in Sonoma Valley.</I>
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<p>VINTAGE <br />2004 </p>
<p>RELEASE DATE <br />March 2007 </p>
<p>AVAILABILITY Winery Exclusive </p>
<p>CASE PRODUCTION <br />750 </p>
<p>APPELLATION <br />Sonoma Valley </p>
<p>VINEYARD <br />Sunny Slope Vineyard </p>
<p>LABEL ART BY <br />Chester Arnold </p>
<p>VINEYARD: As a virtual rock quarry, Sunny Slope Vineyard’s vines were planted in holes drilled or pick-axed out of fractured stone over 20 years ago. The deep roots – a result of maturity and years of laboring for water -- combine with the warm southwest exposure to produce thick-skinned grapes which give us the concentrated flavors, inky color and extracted tannins that distinguish this vineyard. </p>
<p>VINTAGE: The season began on a wet note - we got almost a year's average rainfall in December 2002 – but an unseasonably warm spring gave us an early bud break in March. The vines began to grow and the weather turned cold and wet again in April; depending on location we had rain between 20 to 26 days of the month. This cool overcast weather virtually stopped vine growth and filled the soil with water. As it turned out, April rains and soil moisture ended up being the big story of 2003. Warm weather in May got things going again with explosive growth, then June cooled off and it became apparent that it was going to be a late harvest. There were rumblings about similarities with 1998, but with record heat in July, the situation looked hopeful. August cooled some but brought a tropical weather pattern and the fear of rain. The weather warmed in late September and it became a challenge to control sugars while waiting for flavor maturity. Once harvest began in mid-September, but thanks to a cooling trend, we were able to bring in fruit with great ripeness and maturity through October. 2003 was unique and, weather-wise all over the board. But we got what we needed at critical times and most varietals fared beautifully. </p>
<p>VINTAGE: The amount of rainfall, though early, was normal. Dry weather reigned from March, the warmest March on record, to October. The warm weather jump-started the growing season, making farmers nervous. Things did cool down for spring extending bloom. Periods of long bloom affect uniformity in reds causing a potential of uneven ripening within an individual grape cluster. In our vineyards, we ‘green drop’ to balance the crop and eliminate late ripening fruit at the end of verasion. Summer was moderate without any heat waves; but it was humid raising concerns of mildew. By the end of July it was evident that an early harvest was upon us. High temperatures are not unusual in late summer and early fall but humidity under 20% is very unusual. In fact the average low humidity over the previous five years didn’t go below 30%. Extended periods of hot, dry weather are difficult for a grapevine to endure. With almost two weeks of 10 - 20% humidity in late August and September, mildew was now the least of concerns! Grape sugar was soaring before flavors had matured; our growers did a great job sustaining vineyards until flavors developed. By the end of September we were evaluating an outstanding vintage. 2004 is a vintage of ripe and well-developed flavors with the best overall quality in years. </p>
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<LI>SKU: 793104
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