The year was 2017 and the harvest season was nearly complete when a wildfire broke out in the valley. As it goes, older vines get picked earlier and in this case that means we were able to harvest our special heritage blocks before the fire would prevent us from picking the rest of Rhinefarm's famous Merlot. Since the first Merlot bottling in 1976, we have never skipped a vintage, not even when things went "sideways". 2017 will be the first year without an estate Merlot to release, but we always enjoy looking at the bright side. For this story, it includes both a winery that stood through these fires as well as an epic vintage of Heritage Merlot. Normally allocated and hard to get, we have decided to expand the availability of the 2017 Heritage Merlot to all customers, and are extending club members their discount. It's not just a great wine, it's also a piece of Bundschu history.

The specially selected block of Merlot that goes into our limited-production Heritage Selection Merlot is known for power and concentration. Medium bodied, incredibly well structured, this wine is balanced and supported by subtle, supple tannins. Incredible aromas of baking spices, slate, lavender lead to an equally lush palate of dark berries, plum, savory earth and chocolate.