Black Oak Merlot
A century-old Oak tree stands guard over our vineyards. Three generations of the Manning Family have enjoyed the gift of this Oak tree. It was the inspiration for our brother Corey when he created the Black Oak label over 20 years ago. As an avid gardener, he also planted Black Oak trees at his home. This deciduous tree has deeply furrowed bark and on mature trees is nearly black. The thick, almost black bark is marked with deep furrows and irregularly broken ridges. The moss around the trunk appears black, which is where the tree gets its unique color in maturity.
On October 9th, our brother Corey and many others lost their homes in the Sonoma County Fires. On the first visit to his house, he noticed that the Black Oak trees were still standing but were charred truly black from the fire. Each week he returned to the site and one day, he noticed that underneath the charred trees were signs of green buds and rebirth. It was then that he realized that the Black Oak tree uses fire as a source of oxygen and regenerates itself to a healthy state of its true self. Now, as the Black Oak trees start to rebirth themselves, they stand guard over his home as he waits to rebuild.
We don’t always know why we create something until much later, but now we know why our brother created the Black Oak label as our winery’s flagship brand. It is to show him and all of us that after a tragic loss where everything is taken from you, we have what we need to use the tragedies in our lives as oxygen and rebirth ourselves. Like the Black Oak tree, we are all marked with broken ridges from the journey of life, but no matter what is thrown our way, we are reborn and we grow. Majestic grace and unwavering beauty in the belief in the power of love give us the ability to rise after we fall.
Black Oak Merlot is luxurious with soft black cherry, blackcurrant and juicy boysenberry on the palate. There’s a spicy barrel toast increasing the complexity, with subtle layers of cooking chocolate, mocha, and coffee bean.
Food Pairings: Barbecued pork butt.
