Lyeth Estate Meritage Red Wine, Sonoma County, California 2012
$22.99 at Crush Wine & Spirits in Bryant, Arkansas
57% Merlot / 17% Cabernet Sauvignon / 13% Malbec / 11% Cabernet Franc / 2% Petit Verdot
Blackcurrant, black cherry, spice, dark chocolate, cedar, and mocha. Earthy. Acids well balanced with firm smooth tannins.
Chip Lyeth (pronounced “leeth”) established Lyeth Estate in 1981.
Lyeth Estate is one of the first wineries in California to make a traditional Bordeaux blend – meritage (pronounced like heritage) combining the words merit and heritage. A true meritage is a blend of two or more Bordeaux grape varieties. For reds: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmenere, Malbec, and Petite Verdot. For whites: Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle, and Semillon.
The Meritage Association was founded in 1988. Lyeth was one of the founding members.
Boisset Collection, the largest wine producers in France, bought Lyeth Estate after Chip Lyeth death in the 1990s.
Bill Arbios was Lyeth’s original winemaker through 2013. He set the standard for this style of wine in California.