The history of Pope Valley Winery goes back 1897, when it was founded as Burgundy Winery and Olive Oil Factory by Ed Haus. One hundred years later, a new lease on life was granted to the property when the Eakle family purchased it. Brother and sister David Eakle and Diana Eakle Hawkins took the reigns in 2009 as the forward thinking, next generation owners to build on the legacy that had been created. Today, Pope Valley Winery is creating some stunning wines under the esteemed Director of Winemaking, Jean Hoefliger.
We tend to sometimes provide spoiler alerts in our reviews and this one is no exception. If this wine is any indication how 2025 is going to be, then we are in for a delicious and rewarding year! First of all, if you're one of those people who turned their nose up to Merlot after watching Sideways over twenty years ago, please move on. You're missing out on one of the most versatile and rewarding grape varietals in existence.
Today we are tasting and talking about the 2021 Pope Valley Winery Reserve Merlot. This wine is another fine example of the pain staking quality and attention to detail that is being obsevered by this producer. Historically we have loved both their white and red releases and this one is leaning towards an all-time favorite. Dark garnet inviting colors in the glass with chest-filling aromas of pipe tobacco, rosemary, green tea and those wonderful, juicy dark fruits that you would expect to find. On the palate are welcoming and aggressive flavors of cooked plums, blackberry compote, crusty bread and allspice. This is what we call a "make a fist and put it to your lips" type of wine.
This wine has been in the bottle less than 18 months at this writing and we would anticipate that you can enjoy this one well into the next decade.
ABV: 14.3%
Napa Valley AVA
Winery: Pope Valley Winery
146 cases produced
Suggested retail price: $72.00
Drink The Bottles score: 94/100
