Alfaro Family Santa Cruz Mtns Estate "A" Merlot 2021 Esthers bright agave with lively citrus

bright agave with lively citrus notes and a fresh herbaceousness including white pepper and minerality

Wine-driven

and that site gives the wine a stony rigor

the diner is an institution

Alfaro Family Santa Cruz Mtns Estate "A" Merlot 2021 Esthers bright agave with lively citrusMerlot from the Santa Cruz Mountains is rare; Merlot at this kind of price is rarer still. Richard Alfaro farms 65 estate acres in Corralitos, the cool, fog pulled southern edge of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, and his 'A' Merlot comes off his own plantings. Cool climate Merlot here means red fruit over black, more cedar than cassis, and a leaner build than the Napa or Washington style. Three years in bottle has rounded the edges nicely. This is the