Northstar

Northstar Winery makes outstanding Merlot. The winemaking is a collaboration between veteran Washington winemaker Rusty Figgins and renowned California winemaker Jed Steele. Each year, the winemakers create a Bordeaux-style Merlot by individually fermenting and aging dozens of small lots – all carefully selected for the unique aromas, flavors, tannins and/or structure they bring to the wine.

In the end, the individual characteristics of each vineyard are blended together to create a seamless, balanced wine of great richness and complexity. During fermentation, each lot is punched down to add color and flavor while avoiding astringency. At dryness, the wine is racked into 100% new French oak barrels to integrate the oak and fruit early. The wine is then typically aged 19 months before bottling unfiltered and unfined.

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