Description
This is the wine of the year: La Jota’s 2022 W.S. Keyes Vineyard Merlot.
Grown at one of Howell Mountain’s oldest vineyard sites, the single-vineyard Napa Valley Merlot overcame a challenging 2022 growing season marked by an early September heat wave.
Winemaker Chris Carpenter blended Merlot from the vineyard’s top block with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon before aging the wine in French oak for 22 months. The result is a structured Merlot with ripe red and black fruit, notes of dried sage, baking spice, and cocoa powder—earning it both Best Merlot and Wine of the Year.