Lyeth Estate

Meritage Pioneer – Alexander Valley, CA

Lyeth Estate, born in Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley in 1981, was one of the first wineries in California to pursue the unique complexity and composition achieved by the marriage of Cabernet Sauvignon with the other four major Bordeaux varieties — Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot. Blending has become highly respected in the winemaking community, to the point that many winemakers actually view it as an art form. After having traveled through Bordeaux in the late 1970s, founder Chip Lyeth came to believe what the French Bordelais had known for centuries:  that through blending, you can create a beautiful, distinctive wine with unique characteristics often very different from the varietals from which it is created. From this insight emerged California Meritage wines. Lyeth became a founding member of the Meritage Association in 1988, helping to define the term “Meritage” (pronounced like “heritage”), a combination of the words “merit” and “heritage”.

Almost every wine is blended in some form, whether it is a blend of different vineyards, separate fermentation containers, or distinct varietals. Blending has grown to be such a hot concept that many winemakers are planting their vineyards with the sole purpose of blending varietals together in the end. Today, Lyeth continues this tradition of blending family and tradition in our Meritage red blends from Sonoma County and Alexander Valley.More information about Lyeth. http://www.lyethestate.com/