2002 Meritage Jeroboam
**Available for pickup at Breaux Vineyards' Tasting Room only.**
Travel + Leisure Magazine - July 2007
“The Merlot-dominated Meritage may be the best Bordeaux-style blend made east of the Mississippi. “
by Bruce Schoenfeld (wine editor and former contributing editor for Wine Spectator)
Aromas: Mocha/Chocolate aromatic suggestion along with a bramble berry spice.
Palate: Tannins and acidity fully integrated into palate with good structure showing nice balance and weight. Merlot contributes jammy fruit, Cab offers earthy tones, and Cab Franc adds the spicy white pepper hint. A superb blend of these 3 major Bordeaux grapes.
Each of the three lots comprising the final blend were harvested and fermented separately before blending.
2002 Merlot Fruit harvested at 23.3° Brix to stainless steel tank fermenter. French style delastage performed 3 times during fermentation for maximum color and flavor extraction. This process also allows for seed removal, precluding contribution of harsh tannins. The pressed wine was then barreled in a mixture of French and American Oaks, for a period of 30 months, achieving 100% malolactic fermentation.
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Fruit harvested at 22.0° Brix to a stainless steel fermenter. Delastage cap management similar to the Merlot. The pressed wine was finished in a selected mix of French and American oak barrels, put through 100% malolactic fermentation, and aged for 28 months
2002 Cabernet Franc crushed fresh fruit @22.2° Brix to a capacity stainless steel fermenter. Delastage cap management. The pressed wine was finished in older barrels for minimum oak contribution with emphasis on a spicy characteristic and aged for 28 months.
| Vintage | 2002 |
| Varietal | Blend |
| Varietal Composition | 59.8% - 2002 Merlot
32.2% - 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon
8% - Cabernet Franc |
| Appellation | Loudoun County, VA |
| Vineyard | Breaux Vineyards |
| Acid | 5.36 |
| PH | 3.67 |
| Aging | 28-30 months |
| Alcohol | 13.90% |
| Volume | 3 liter |
Travel + Leisure Magazine - July 2007
“The Merlot-dominated Meritage may be the best Bordeaux-style blend made east of the Mississippi. “
by Bruce Schoenfeld (wine editor and former contributing editor for Wine Spectator)
Silver – 2007 San Francisco International Wine Competition
Silver – 2007 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition
Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension Viticulture Notes: November-December 2002
In general, the 2002 season will likely be considered one of Virginia's better years, particularly in regards to the quality of white grapes. The dry summer translated into a somewhat early and very high quality harvest for Chardonnay, Viognier, Sauvignon blanc and other whites, but the resumption of rains in September and October made it difficult to obtain concentration in the later-maturing reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon. One lesson that was reinforced during 2002, especially in the central Piedmont, was that a properly used irrigation system minimized vine water stress, resulting in more rapid and uniform fruit maturation. Except for Cabernet Sauvignon, we were very pleased with the quality of grapes harvested at our research vineyard in Winchester.
-Dr. Tony K. Wolf, Viticulture Extension Specialist
