When Bill and Mary Seavey acquired their sprawling 200-acre property in the late 1970s, their goal was to create wines of substance and class that would rival the top reds of the world. This offering accomplishes just that, and thanks to the wine’s immaculate cellaring, it’s ready to be awakened from its long slumber.
Ignore what Paul Giamatti’s character said in Sideways, because Seavey’s 2001 Merlot is essentially a PSA for how stunning this grape can be. Invite over your friends, have some dinner, and then have some fun with them by pouring this wine blind. I bet their answers will be unanimous: a dense and silky Cabernet Sauvignon in the triple-digit price range. If they didn’t like Merlot before, they will now. I do not say this lightly: this wine could very well be the best value I’ve found in Napa since the formation of SommSelect.
The 2001 Seavey Merlot shows a deep garnet-red core that leads out to a brick red rim with orange tones. The nose bursts with classic Napa notes of ripe black plum, black cherry, cassis, and a hint of blueberry liqueur. Crushed earth, leather, dried violet, and tobacco also shine through the black-fruit dominated nose and are very much alive upon first taste. This wine is incredibly pure and lush. Cacao nibs, anise, dried herbs and cedar seemingly unfold from a trove of layers in the wine. It’s extracted and dense, while preserving its freshness and avoiding a prune-like, cloying style. The integrated tannins are smoothed out and wonderfully supple, which is why the lingering acidity is all the more welcome here. This Merlot is simply a wine that has evolved perfectly and is ready to drink now, although its drinking window will remain open for the next decade. When consuming, pop and pour in a large Bordeaux stem at 60-65 degrees. If desired, decant the wine briefly in order to shed any unwanted sediment that has formed in this wine’s long life of cellaring. I recommend sticking with the classics for food pairing: a juicy, succulent filet mignon cooked rare to medium-rare. Throw in a couple sides of scalloped potatoes and caramelized cauliflower too. This won’t be a night for calorie-counting, but it will be one to remember—especially when you reveal to your friends what they’ve been drinking. Enjoy!