# Noisy Water Winery Merlot (2021)

- **Producer:** Noisy Water Winery
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Merlot
- **Region:** New Mexico, United States
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 13.8%
- **Average price:** €22
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 16–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** plum, cherry, blackcurrant, vanilla, cedar, tobacco

## About this wine

Noisy Water Winery is a prominent New Mexico wine producer based in Ruidoso. Established with a commitment to showcasing southwestern terroir, the winery produces a variety of wines sourced from high-altitude vineyards across New Mexico. The region features hot summer days balanced by dramatic cooling at night, providing a distinctive high-desert landscape for classic European grape varieties to ripen fully while maintaining balanced freshness.

## Interesting facts

- New Mexico is home to the oldest wine-producing region in the United States, with vines planted in 1629.
- Noisy Water Winery operates out of Ruidoso, high in the Sacramento Mountains of southern New Mexico.
- The extreme high-desert diurnal shift helps grapes preserve natural acidity while developing rich fruit flavors.

## Food pairing

Merlot's medium-to-full body, soft tannins, and dark fruit profiles pair exceptionally well with roasted white meats, game, and tender cuts of beef. The wine's structural balance seamlessly cuts through richness without overpowering delicate herbal seasoning.

## Wine making process

Harvested from selected New Mexico vineyard sites, the Merlot grapes are destemmed and fermented in stainless steel tanks with regular pump-overs to extract color and gentle tannins. Following primary fermentation, the wine undergoes aging in a combination of French and American oak barrels to round out the palate and impart subtle toasted wood accents before blending and bottling.