Merlot, 2019. Primary Wine Co.

Our selection is created Matt and Alexis Iaconis, founders of Brick & Mortar Wine Company. After graduating with his viticulture and enology degrees in 2008, Matt worked at wineries in Australia, New Zealand, Italy and France to learn the things they don't teach you in schools. After coming back in 2011, he founded Brick & Mortar to put in place all the things he learned in school and other countries.

Alexis is an artist who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, the most respected cooking school in the nation. She did her internship at none other than Auberge du Soleil in Napa and earned her Certified and Advanced Sommelier credentials from the Court of Master Sommeliers. With that kind of firepower in place, it's no surprise that this unique husband and wife team create impressive wines. They draw from diverse experiences to bring different perspectives to winemaking, a process so fluid that it is in constant flux.

The grapes for this gem come from Mendocino's Ukiah region, not far from where John Parducci planted the first Merlot vines almost 75 years ago. The wine spent 10 months in neutral and one-year-old barrels to pick up nuance and balance. The result is a beautifully textured Merlot featuring all the tell-tale plum and dark chocolate essences along with sweet cherry and nutmeg. Here is a classic wine to go with a classic dish like beef Bourgogne or a Chateaubriand stuffed with chopped cremini mushroom and foie gras.

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