2012 Pedestal Merlot
Michel Rolland, Pomerol vintner and consultant to many of the world's top wineries, teamed with Washington State wine visionary Allen Shoup to produce this limited release wine.
The 2012 vintage produced wines with exceptional color and rich, complex flavors. The growing season started warm; April conditions were near perfect, then temperatures cooled considerably in May and June before warming for the summer and remaining remarkably consistent throughout harvest. Small berries loaded with intense flavor matured beautifully, yielding rich flavors and ripe, integrated tannins.
With its intense color and inviting aromas of dark berries, licorice, baking spice and a hint of smoke, the 2012 Pedestal is a bold wine that leaves a lasting impression. Dark fruit flavors integrated with sweetness from the barrel and richness from the tannins come together seamlessly, lingering across a structured mid-palate and lengthy finish.
95 POINTS - WINE ADVOCATE $60 / bottle
| Download Wine Notes |
| Vintage | 2012 |
| Varietal | Merlot |
| Varietal Composition | 81% Merlot
9% Cabernet Sauvignon
5% Cabernet Franc
5% Petit Verdot |
| Appellation | Columbia Valley |
| Acid | 0.56 grams/100ml |
| PH | 3.80 |
| Alcohol | 15.10% |
| Volume | 750 ml |
2012 PEDESTAL - 95 POINTS
"Probably the best vintage of this cuvee to date, and one of the top Merlots in Washington, the 2012 Pedestal, which includes 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot (aged 22 months in 85% new French oak), offers lots of minerality in its dark fruits, crushed herbs, licorice and crushed rock. Medium to full-bodied, with a great mid-palate and superb concentration, it has enough tannic structure to benefit from short-term cellaring, and have upward of two decades of overall longevity."
2012 PEDESTAL - 93 POINTS
"Red currant and darker berries complicated by graphite and licorice on the nose. Lush and seamless but with lovely inner-mouth lift and energy to its dark fruit and mineral flavors. This palate-staining Merlot will be a long ager. Finishes with big, tongue-coating tannins." - Stephen Tanzer
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RAND SEALEY - REVIEW OF WASHINGTON WINES
2012 PEDESTAL - 19.5/20 POINTS
"Produced under the direction of Michel Rolland of Bordeaux, this Merlot (with 9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% each of Cab Franc and Petit Verdot) offers a deep crimson color and a sensuous nose of wild blackberries, cherries, plums and cassis. The flavors mirror the aromatics with deep, fleshy, mouth encompassing flavors that are deep cored and intermixed with black licorice, bittersweet chocolate, French roast and alluvial minerals. The allure continues on the back with pressed berries, toasted nuts, and crème de cassis, followed by a lavish, yet well structured, lingering integrated oak (85% new for 22 months) and spiced and herbed fine-grained tannin finish that goes on and on."
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As has been the case since Pedestal’s debut in 2003, Conner Lee Vineyards Merlot plays a dominant role in crafting a dark, rich wine of uncommon character. Candy Mountain Merlot enhances the wine’s complexity. Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, from Taptiel Vineyards, builds richness and structure. Dionysus Vineyard Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc give the wine its vibrant character.
Michel Rolland is considered by many to be one of the most influential winemakers in the field. A graduate of the esteemed Bordeaux Faculty of Oenology, he continues to build upon this practical source of knowledge through observations in his own laboratory in Pomerol, France. He consults for over 100 vintners and vineyards worldwide, producing wines with an alluring style recognized as the “Rolland Method”.
Rolland also maintains partnership interests in far-flung regions of the globe, including his involvement with Long Shadows Vintners. His home, however, is in Pomerol, where he owns and manages a number of holdings and fine wine estates: Chateau Le Bon Pasteur in Pomerol, Chateau Bertineau Saint-Vincent in Lalande-de-Pomerol, Chateau Rolland-Maillet in Saint-Emilion, and Chateau Fontenil in Fronsac. In addition, Michel manages the Chateau La Grande Clottee in Lussac-Saint-Emilion under a vineyard lease system.
Vineyard management techniques championed by Rolland include effeuillage (thinning of leaves), and eclaircissage (pruning of clusters), both used to encourage the advent of perfectly ripened grapes. Aging on the lees in new oak barrels and in-barrel malolactic fermentation are also Rolland’s trademarks.
However, those who view the “Rolland Method” as a craftsman’s book of recipes have missed the mark. Rolland is not a technician – he is, first and foremost, an observer. He studies the surround, that is, the blend of personality traits that distinguishes the vintner, the vineyard, and the grower. In uncanny fashion, Rolland understands the unique culture of the wine - and therefore the nuances that separate an unexciting wine from something quite extraordinary. It is this ability to understand the wine that makes him such an amazing oenologist.
Michel is usually winging his way to a vineyard in some far corner of the world. However, he makes a point of returning home each year to celebrate the birthdays of his two daughters, Marie and Stephanie, and grandchildren, Camille, Arthur, Theo and Raphael.
