Frosty Merlot, man

Clos Saron 2010 Sierra Foothills Red Wine, Renaissance Vineyard, "Spring Frost." Identified on a restaurant list as a Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon blend, which it is, except that the largest single contributor to the blend is actually Merlot at 40% (there were also small amounts of Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc in the mix). Apparently made from those grapes that survived a disastrous series of frosts that left Gideon Beinstock unable to make his usual Syrah-based cuvées from this site. In a CT discussion from earlier this year, he popped up to defend the wine against intimations of decrepitude, suggesting instead that it was tight and in need of more time. This bottle tended to confirm that. Nose a pleasant mix of red and black fruit with a suggestion of balsamic, good color and concentration, a bit of wood spice, but unyielding before decanting. Within 30 minutes it opened up a lot, with delicious still-fresh fruit framed by earth and game. Had that elusive combination of weight and lightness, both in flavor and in feel, that I adore. And nowhere near the end of its development, much less its life.