Ironstone Merlot 2021

As you'd expect from Merlot grown in Lodi's warm, sunny climate, this is soft, ripe, and full of juicy plum and black cherry flavours. A couple of months in new French oak add just a hint of toastiness and a touch of vanilla for a bit more depth, while the smooth tannins keep it all beautifully balanced. It's straightforward, easy-going, and shows off everything Merlot does well in this kind of fruit-forward region. Simple, satisfying, and full of ripe, sunny charm.

Easy to get along with, it's a great match for tomatoey pastas, creamy mushroom risotto, or a sausage casserole - its soft, ripe fruit works brilliantly with those cosy, savoury dishes.

Ironstone Vineyards is today a sizable and well-respected Californian estate with around 2,000 hectares of vineyards. The estate was founded back in the 1960s in what was the Californian Gold Rush Country by John Kautz as a diversification of the family's crop growing business. By the 1980s at which time they were among the biggest grape growers in the state they took the next step and built their own winery and the Ironstone label was established. Today they're a well-established family estate. John Kautz and his wife Gail still lead the business while the next generation in the shape of Stephen, Kurt, Joan and Jack are all fully hands on in the operation and its continued development.