Staff Pick

Onabay Vineyards, Merlot "Great Blue Heron" - 2021

Name: Onabay Vineyards, Merlot "Great Blue Heron"
Brand: Onabay Vineyards
SKU: 44805
Price: 21.96 USD
Availability: InStock

Item # 44805 750 mL

From hand-harvested vines on the North Fork of Long Island. The grapes were entirely destemmed to add emphasis on the fruit profile. The wine was aged in French oak (20% new) for 17 months. Excellent with steak and fries.

$21.96/ Single Bottle

$263.52 $237.17/ Case of 12

You Save 10%

Check Availability

Free shipping on first web orders over $299

available for pickup by noon Tomorrow

Color

Red

Vintage

2021

Country

USA

Region

New York

Sub-Region

North Fork of Long Island

Producer

Onabay Vineyards

Grape Variety

Merlot

Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Sauvignon

Need Help Deciding? Get personal recommendations from our staff

Staff Pick Notes

This Merlot is blended with a small part of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Bruce Schneider, the creator of this wine got famous in the wine industry for his excellent Cabernet Franc. This Merlot shows a great structure also. The sea, not so far from the vineyards cools off the area in summer and keep it mild in winter. Onabay combines vines planted in the 1990s and high density, high quality selected clones, crating a perfect balance. This wine in fact is well balanced with flavors of plum and liquorice and a mineral finish. All supported by a smooth tannin. Earthy and velvety at the same time, typical qualities of good Merlot.

- AFR

Glossary

New York

New York winemakers have embraced international varieties and hit the ground running. The Hudson River Valley is home to the oldest vineyards in New York State. Bordeaux varietals are at home in Long Island’s maritime climate. The Finger Lakes harbors a burgeoning winemaking community where many natural-inclined producers focus on dry still wines. No longer is our fair state synonymous with Concord grapes and Manischewitz; look for brilliant iterations of Pinot Noir, Riesling, Cabernet Franc,...

Merlot

The next time you hear someone say they never touch Merlot, tell them that it's too bad, because you were just about to open a few bottles of Château Pétrus and Le Pin, and you have no one to share them with. Some wine drinkers are quick to dismiss varieties that become too fashionable, but Merlot is popular for good reason. It has one of the most impressive and distinctive textures of any wine, and has long been prized for the "softening" effect it can have on Cabernet Sauvignon - especially...

Cabernet Franc

Relegated to moderate obscurity in modern times, Cabernet Franc is in fact the proud parent of the attention-hogging Cabernet Sauvignon (after an illicit affair with Sauvignon Blanc a hundred-odd years ago). Cabernet Franc has remained close to its roots in France, enjoying small pockets of popularity primarily in the Loire Valley (specifically in Chinon), where it is often bottled as a varietal wine, and in Bordeaux where it is still used in moderate percentages in the typical blends. In fact,...

Cabernet Sauvignon

The result of an illicit affair a hundred-odd years ago between Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon today enjoys more worldwide popularity than both of its parents combined. It is the principal grape of Bordeaux, and as such has rightly earned its place among the greatest and most long-lived wines of the Old World; of course, it is also the most heralded grape of California, positioning it at the forefront of the New World wine scene as well. Today, Cabernet Sauvignon has a...

Malbec

Known as Côt throughout much of France, Malbec is the dark-skinned variety that put Argentinian wine on the map - and likewise, Argentinian Malbec saved the grape from near obscurity. The Cahors appellation in France still relies on Malbec to distinguish many of its wines, but the area is exceptional in this regard. As the grape can be quite difficult to cultivate, it has become far less popular over the years, even in its Bordeaux home. Its South American renaissance has ensured, however, that...