Rutherford Hill Napa Valley Merlot 2022

Wine Spectator : 93 Points

(2/28/2026) After more than 70 years in the wine business—first as a retailer, then as a distributor and importer—the Terlato family went into winemaking with the purchase of Rutherford Hill in 1996. Today, they own more than 400 acres of prime vineyard land in Napa Valley, which they put to fine use in this well-priced Merlot. About 70 percent of the 2022 bottling comes from those vineyards, including the Terlato-owned Chimney Rock estate, whose Merlot vines are planted in the foothills of the Stags Leap District. Marking the first vintage for former winemaker Michael Coode, the 2022 is supple and elegantly structured. Coode fermented the juice in tanks, with twice-daily pump-overs, and then aged the wine for 14 months in a combination of new and used French oak. 12,814 cases made.