Drink (and think) like a somm
Pollak Vineyards
Merlot Reserve
Virginia
Monticello
Merlot 100%
Ripe Cherry, Plum, Red Cassis, Bell Pepper
13 Months
New French Oak
50%
Neutral French Oak
50%
ABOUT
Pollak 2023 Merlot Reserve
“Our Merlot Reserve is blended after a meticulous selection of barrels from our best vineyard blocks, comprising of 80% clone 343, and 20% clone 181. The blending took place after 5 months of aging and secondary fermentation.
The blended wine was then matured together for an additional 13 months in French oak barrels (50% new, 50% neutral).
Today the wine presents with aromas of cherry and other bright red fruits with a full mouthfeel and soft, voluptuous tannins.”
-Pollak Vineyards
PAIRINGS
IN A PINCH
Grilled or braised red meats, pasta with mushroom-based sauces.
DEEPER DIVE
This Merlot definitely calls out for the richer end of the food pairing spectrum. Its smooth, silky mouthfeel and elevated acidity make it a perfect to complement some of the bigger meat dishes, especially if braised or grilled. Lamb and pork are going to be great options.
Its still an elegant wine though, so it will also be great with pastas like mushroom risotto, and is just about perfect with aged cheeses.
STANDOUT FEATURES: Rich mouthfeel, elevated acidity, peppery notes.
PAIRING SCALE
STEER CLEAR
Most fish, and anything too light will be overpowered easily by this wine.
CHEESE OPTIONS
Stilton
Stilton
Country: England
Animal: Cow
Type: Strong, funky
Texture: Hard
Style: Full-bodied, tangy
Taleggio
Taleggio
Country: Italy
Animal: Cow
Type: Soft
Texture: Creamy
Style: Mild, sweet, aromatic
Parmigiano Reggiano
Parmigiano Reggiano
Country: Italy
Animal: Cow
Type: Hard
Texture: Grainy, crumbly
Style: Nutty, salty, Savory.
RECIPE IDEAS
SERVICE
WHICH GLASSES?
Large Bordeaux or All-purpose glasses would be best.
BORDEAUX
BURGUNDY
FLUTE
COUPE
ALL-PURPOSE
WHITE
DESSERT
SHOULD I DECANT THIS?
WHY “Yes”?
The longer this wine has to breathe, the better it gets. The difference between how this wine tastes right from the bottle and with a little air is night and day, so a decanter is a good idea here, or at least significant swirling in your glass before drinking.
How long?
Generally you would want to decant a younger wine for longer to help it open up and be cautious of exposing older wines to oxygen for too long. There are always exceptions of course, but this is a pretty good rule to follow.
Minutes to decant this bottle:
Year opened
SERVING TEMP
The correct serving temperature is important to show a wine’s true potential, but don’t stress over getting the temp exactly right. Use the chart below to try to get in the right ballpark.
AGING
WHEN SHOULD I OPEN THIS?
If a wine has been released by the producer, it means it is ready to drink. Wines don’t necessarily get “better” with age, they just change. Typically, this change involves things like losing fresh fruit flavors in exchange for more savory notes.
The moment you should open the bottle depends on your preference, so it’s more important to understand the evolution and the life span of the bottle than it is to try to time its opening perfectly. (It’s far better to open a bottle too early than too late.)
This bottle should probably be opened between:
2026 – 2038
Development
NERD STUFF
TECHNICAL NOTES
pH: 3.63
TA: 5.05 grams/L
Alc: 14%
RS: 0%
Cases Produced: 147
FERMENTATION
Whole berry primary fermentation mostly in concrete tank lasting four weeks.
PRODUCER
ABOUT US
Our Story
“We are certainly not pioneers. Rather we can build upon the experience that other Virginia vintners have had and refine the particular varietals for which Virginia can produce world class wines. Viognier and Cabernet Franc show particular promise.”
WINEMAKING
Innovative Winemaking
We opened our winery in 2008, designed to control every step of the winemaking process. We stabilize fruit in a cold room before crush and fermentation and produce small-batch wines with varied yeast treatments to highlight our terroir. Gravity flow moves the wine gently from the crush pad to the production area and into our hillside barrel aging room.
All cases of our estate-grown wines are hand-harvested and sorted before being cooled and fermented. We craft small lots to bring out unique flavors, blending only after blind taste tests. Our first wine, a 2005 Meritage, continues to deliver a consistent Bordeaux blend of merlot, cabernet franc, and petit verdot, with planting expanded to include varietals that thrive in Central Virginia.
OUR WINEMAKER
Our Winemaker Benoit Pineau was born and raised near Tours in the wine appellation of Jasnières and discovered his passion for viticulture and fermentations by working with his grandfather. He obtained his Enologist degree studying in Bordeaux and Burgundy.
Production passionate, he decided to focus his learning on Bordeaux varietals by working in France, Australia and California. Benoit arrived in Virginia at Kluge Estate Winery (Charlottesville, VA) in 2005 and moved to Napa at Cain Vineyards (Saint Helena, CA) in 2006. The Virginia countryside and its potential for growing grapes and producing world-class wine brought him back east in 2008. Since then, he has managed the vineyards and wineries operations for over a decade at Pollak Vineyards (2011-2018, 2020-present).
OUR VINEYARDS
Central Virginia and Great Wines
In 2003, aided by Virginia viticulturist Chris Hill, we purchased a 98 acre farm well suited to growing European Vinifera. That year we planted our first 10 acre block. Today, we meticulously manage more than 17,000 vines on eight distinctive blocks. Each vineyard block is hand-tended to produce quality fruit for winemaking.
The vines are planted on ten distinct blocks scattered across the site, each section arrayed and pruned to take advantage of the aspects of its particular parcel. The blocks include:
Pinot Gris Block
Original Vineyard
Viognier Block
Mountain Vineyard
Smuggler Vineyard
Our Smuggler Vineyard contains 6.47 acres planted with merlot, cabernet franc and our only planting of cabernet sauvignon.
Interested in joining our wine club?
Benefits of Club Membership
4 bottles shipped or picked up at the winery 3 times a year
15% discount on all wine and merchandise purchases
e-newsletters announcing new releases and special events
Special Second Sunday of the month tasting events
Invitation to special Smuggler-only events
Prerelease and preference on new wines including limited production and reserve wines
Winemaker and tasting notes for each wine
