Michel Rolland, Pomerol vintner and consultant to many of the world’s top wineries, provides the vision for this limited release wine. In partnership with Washington wine visionary Allen Shoup, Michel has created a Columbia Valley Merlot that exemplifies the complexity and concentration of flavors for which his wines are internationally known.

Since the beginning, Long Shadows' Director of Winemaking and Viticulture Gilles Nicault, has overseen the operations of the winery and worked closely with the vintners to bring each winemaker’s vision to completion. Gilles works closely with the state’s top growers to execute a diverse winemaking protocol at Long Shadows’ state-of-the-art facility in Walla Walla to produce wines of exceptional quality, true to the Columbia Valley’s terroir.

The 2019 Pedestal Columbia Valley Merlot, a blend of 75% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Malbec is a totally alluring red wine right from the start. In the glass the color is rich deep garnet through to the edges. The nose reveals complex aromas of ripe dark fruit, dark cherry and plum. There are notes of cassis, rich dark chocolate, a scent of tilled earth, graphite, and cedar. The palate is full bodied, beautifully structured, seamless, and has a lovely texture. The tannins are finely grained with well integrated dark fruit, baking spices, and subtle flavor of vanilla, The texture and flavors sail through the palate with wonderful balance along with a creamy mouth-feel and just enough minerality that lifts the wine through to a lengthy finish. The 2019 Pedestal Merlot is beautifully crafted and memorable at every level and will benefit from 5 – 10 more years in the bottle.

By Perry Miroballi