1997 Jade Mountain Paras Vineyard Merlot

Jade Mountain in Napa Valley was founded in 1984 when San Francisco attorney Jim Paras purchased 22 acres on the eastern slope of Mount Veeder. By the late 1990s the estate was producing 10,000 cases annually of Syrah, Merlot, Mourvedre and Viognier. In 2000 the estate was purchased by the Chalone Group, a conglomerate of wine and spirits companies, and in 2004 the Chalone Group was purchased by the international beverage group Diageo. Jade has always been well known for its estate Syrah. Today the estate sources grapes from Lake County, Napa County and Sonoma County. Jade produces red and white Rhone Style blends called la Provencale, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay.

Mount Veeder AVA was established in 1993, though its origins as a wine producing district date to the 19th century. A German Presbyterian pastor named Peter Veeder was one of the first landowners in the area, and by 1864 one of his neighbors, a German sea captain named Stelham Wing, was producing wine commercially. The area continued to attract German agricultural entrepreneurs, some of whom established the estate that would later become the Christian Brothers Mont La Salle winery. Today the AVA includes about 1,000 acres of vineyards, most of them at relatively high altitudes. The Mayacamas vineyard, for instance, is at 2,400 feet. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most frequently planted grape, followed by Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

The Merlot grape is such a deep blue that it is named for the blackbird. It’s an early ripening grape and one of the primary varietals used In Bordeaux. Merlot is also grown in the "International style," which is harvested later to bring out more tannins and body.