A W a l l a W a l l a
w i n e r y o f S t e. M i c h e l l
e W i n e E s t a t e s
T a s t i n g R o o m: S e e h o u r s b e l o w E m a i l: i n f o @ n o r t h s t a r m e r l o t . c o m W e b s i t e: w w w . n o r t h s t a r m e r l o t . c o m
Northstar Winemakers: Dave
"Merf" Merfeld, Winemaker
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc,
Tasting Room Hours Northstar’s tasting room
is open seven days a week.
Whatever your interest, we look forward to welcoming you to the winery! Consider joining Northstar's Merlot Wine Club Consider signing up for the Northstar Mailing List
|
||
| C a p t u r i n g t h e B e a u t y o f W a s h i n g t o n M e r l o t | ||
|
What if two veteran winemakers decided
to work together to start a winery that would fully explore the
potential of Washington merlot -- a wine grape varietal star of the
state's Columbia Valley. And
what if they crafted their wines from only the finest
of Washington's merlot grapes beginning with the celebrated 1994 vintage, following
traditional Bordeaux protocol, and keeping their production small? Those are exactly the circumstances under which Northstar winery was founded. Today, Dave Merfeld and his team of winemakers continue to dedicate themselves to producing the world's best merlot and showcasing Columbia Valley and Walla Walla Valley grapes through the wines of this renowned winery.
“Merf has what all great winemakers must have... a sixth sense about grape selection and exacting standards when blending the best of the best from the vineyards,” says legendary California winemaker Jed Steele, a Northstar consultant who has worked with Merf since 2001. |
All grapes
for Northstar wines are sourced from a variety of proven vineyard sites in diverse growing regions
of Eastern Washington, and each of the selected vineyard blocks is chosen
for the added dimension
and complexity it will bring to the wine...
unique aromas, flavors, tannins
and/or structure. Each year, the winemakers create Northstar's
Bordeaux-style merlot by individually
fermenting and aging dozens of small lots of Washington merlot wine
produced from these top vineyards. Once fruit is selected, Merf and his team guide it through a gentle sorting and whole-berry fermentation. State-of-the-art winery equipment, cutting-edge tannin research, and old-fashioned instinct all aid Merf in creating the final blends of Northstar’s highly acclaimed merlots from both the Walla Walla Valley and Columbia Valley. “Winemaking is a constant learning experience and the vineyard, the lab, and the equipment resources we are fortunate to have at Northstar give us a great advantage in making the kinds of wines we strive for,” says Merf. “It’s incredibly exciting for me to see the way these wines take shape and grow into what they eventually become – a great experience in the glass.” The vineyard and winery are located on property near Pepper Bridge Winery on J.B. George Road, south of Walla Walla. Most vintages of Northstar merlot have a generous amount of Columbia Valley cabernet sauvignon that adds to the wine's structure. The result is a merlot with the unmistakable power of Columbia Valley grapes and a seductive display of rich fruit flavors, judiciously balanced with firm tannins and polished oak. Production is extremely limited, allowing the winemakers ample time to lavish attention on their wine.
Wine Club
membership insures Register for
Northstar |
|
|
Featured Northstar Wines
A blend of 80% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot Vineyards: Diverse vineyards and sub-appellations within the Columbia Valley. Vines average 15 years old and yield grapes with concentrated varietal flavors of cherry and plum with elegant tannins. Winemaking: At harvest, grapes were held separately, destemmed and crushed with 25% whole berries remaining. Grapes fermented on the skins for five days with daily punch downs to extract flavor, colors and fine tannins. The wine was placed into French (70%) and American (30%) oak barrels where it underwent malolactic fermentation. The barrel rotation included 70% new barrels. The lots aged separately for 18 months with barrel-to-barrel racking occurring at three month intervals. Tasting Notes: This rich wine is concentrated and yet elegant, with aromas of cherry, plum, raspberry, and blackberry, finishing off with flavors of toasted oak, vanilla, coconut, mint, and toffee. Enjoy and celebrate!– David “Merf” Merfeld, Winemaker Acclaim:
2005 Northstar Merlot A blend of 80% Merlot, 16% Cabernet
Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot
Vineyards:
Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from some of Walla Walla’s best vineyard
sites are showcased in this, Northstar’s flagship wine. The resulting
fruit provides concentrated black cherry flavors, structure and
complexity to the blend. Winemaking:
Grapes were destemmed, crushed and inoculated with Premier Cuvée yeast
to Tasting Notes: Leather and bright cherry flavors are balanced well into this satiny smooth, well structured Merlot that concludes with a supple, lingering finish. – David “Merf” Merfeld, Winemaker
Acclaim: 2005 Northstar Syrah 100% Syrah Tasting Notes: “This wine opens blackberry and blueberry, boysenberry, fig, orange peel and plum and aromatic hints of aniseed, mint, and white pepper. Full-bodied, lush and robust on the palate with earthy, meaty cola flavors and a long smoky, nutty finish." Vintage Overview: Warm summer months and a cool autumn yielded a record harvest for 2005. The growing season began with moderate winter temperatures, followed by a long and warm summer which allowed prolonged hang-time and resulted in fruit with deep, concentrated flavors and intense color. Vineyards: Fruit is selected from the very best possible sources from Walla Walla to make our limited production Syrah. Minnick Hills and Anna Marie contributed to this 100% Syrah. Winemaker Dave Merfeld works closely with each grower to achieve specific fruit quality and yield parameters. Vines yield grapes with concentrated varietal flavors of blackberry and blueberry with elegant tannins. Winemaking: At harvest, grapes were destemmed and crushed leaving 25% whole berries intact. Lots were inoculated with D21, a yeast strain from the best Languedoc terroirs. Grapes were fermented for 5 days with daily punch downs. The wine was racked into barrels for malolactic fermentation and aging. Lots were racked at three month intervals for clarity. The wine aged in 75% French and 25% American oak with 70% new oak barrels. 2005 Cabernet Franc Blend 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot Tasting Notes: “A medium-bodied, velvety wine with hints of mint, chocolate, nutmeg, blueberry, and black olive, all married with a silky vanilla and cherry finish."-David "Merf" Merfeld Vintage Overview: Warm summer months and a cool autumn yielded a record harvest for 2005. The growing season began with moderate winter temperatures, followed by a long and warm summer with allowed prolonged hang-time and resulted in fruit with deep, concentrated flavors and intense color. Vineyards: This limited production wine showcases Cabernet Franc, which grows particularly well in the Walla Walla appellation. Cabernet Franc is sourced from Minnick Hill Vineyard just north of downtown Walla Walla and blended with Merlot from Anna Marie Vineyard south of the Northstar winery and Petit Verdot from Stone Tree Vineyard on Wahluke Slope. Diversity of vineyards and sub-appellations within the Columbia Valley are Northstar’s hallmarks. Fruit is selected from the very best possible sources throughout the Columbia and Walla Walla valleys. Winemaker Dave Merfeld works closely with each grower to achieve specific fruit quality and yield parameters.Winemaking: Grapes were destemmed, crushed and inoculated with Premier Cuvee yeast to begin the ten-day fermentation. The must was punched down daily during fermentation, and was then racked into barrels to undergo malolactic fermentation. Racking occurred every three months for clarity during the 17-month aging process. The barrel regime included 75% French and 25% Hungarian oak, with 60% new barrels. The final blend consists of fruit from three distinct vineyard blocks. Acclaim: 2005 Stella Maris Blend 77% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Syrah Tasting Notes:
“This medium-bodied, approachable wine opens with aromatics of vanilla,
cherry and raspberry, along with leather and saddle notes. Concentrated
fruit on the palate leads to a soft, smooth and supple toffee-almond
finish." Vineyards: Diversity of vineyards and sub-appellations within the Columbia Valley are Northstar’s hallmarks. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah were sourced from the best vineyard sites within the Columbia Valley and Walla Walla Valley. Vines are 5 − 20 years old and yield grapes with concentrated varietal flavors of cherry and plum. Fruit from 12 different vineyard sites and 16 individual lots contributed to the blend. Winemaking: At harvest, grapes were destemmed and crushed leaving 25% whole berries intact. Lots were inoculated with Premier Cuvée yeast and fermented separately for five days with daily punch downs. The wine was racked into barrels for malolactic fermentation and aging. Lots were racked at three month intervals for clarity. The wine aged in 60% French and 40% American oak barrels with 65% new oak. The blend was created after 17 months in the barrel.Acclaim:
  
 |
||
