2011 Rive Droite Merlot

The Merlot-based 2011 Rive Droite Paradise Hills Vineyard is one of the silkiest, most polished wines readers will find in this vintage. A sweet, intensely floral, Pinot-inflected bouquet melds into small red berries, flowers, mint, licorice and spices. The style is medium-bodied and supremely graceful, with layers of fruit that flesh out beautifully in the glass. Violets, lavender and rose petals linger on the sublime, layered finish. The 2011 has really come together nicely since I last tasted it this past Spring. The blend is 92% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc.

The 2011 Rive Droite Paradise Hills Vineyard is composed of over 90% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc. Although much lighter than usual, it is still endearing, as the finest wines of this vintage tend to be. There is no hint of herbaceousness, just lots of white chocolate, espresso roast, mulberry and kirsch characteristics. Medium-bodied and soft, it is best consumed over the next decade. The Blankiet Estate owned by Claude and Katherine Blankiet is beautifully situated on the lower hillsides of the Mayacamas Mountains, just behind the large Napanook estate of Dominus. An enviable group of talented people have provided assistance here, beginning with David Abreu, Helen Turley and John Wetlaufer, followed by Michel Rolland, Martha McLellan, and more recently Denis Malbec. Production remains between 1,800 and 2,500 cases with nearly half of that devoted to their second wine, the Prince of Hearts. The other cuvees include the Proprietary Red (Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated) and the Rive Droite (a Pomerol / St.-Emilion look-a-like wine), and in 2012, they added a tiny, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon cuvee called Mythicus. I could be wrong, but it seems to me these wines, which performed very well, and are among the finest of the so-called “cult” wines of Napa Valley, remain under-the-radar. Perhaps that is due to the small production. The 2009s are all stunning. In the challenging 2011 vintage, the Blankiets along with their winemaker Denis Malbec have fashioned very good examples, although they are much lighter and less concentrated and authoritative than the top vintages. The 2012s are among the finest wines Blankiet has yet made. Tel. (707) 963-2001

(a 92/8 blend of merlot and cabernet franc): Good full ruby-red. Urgent aromas of crushed blackberry, licorice, coffee and mint, plus a hint of tropical dark chocolate. Broad, pliant and deep but youthfully dry and a bit inexpressive today, hinting at dark berries, coffee and dusty brown spices. Ultimately a bit suppler than the Proprietary Red but this is very serious merlot. Finishes with youthfully edgy tannins that dust the front teeth, along with a hint of herbs.