Korbin Kameron 2018 Merlot, Moon Mountain District, Sonoma County

The Korbin Kameron 2018 Merlot is a study in how altitude and intent can transform a grape too often underestimated. From the first pour, the nose carries blackberry compote and ripe black cherry, laced with cinnamon bark and fennel seed. Behind it, mocha and mulled spice surface slowly, like warmth rising through stone.

On the palate, the wine has breadth but never bulk. Blackberry and cherry fruit are deep and dark, but the weight is lifted by freshness—vivid acidity carrying the fruit forward while tannins remain supple but insistent. A streak of mineral grip runs through the mid-palate, the imprint of volcanic soils, giving structure where Merlot so often trends toward softness.

Moonridge Vineyard, perched at nearly 2,400 feet on Moon Mountain, gives this wine its distinctive frame. The soils here—volcanic rock and ancient seabeds—are lean and unforgiving, forcing vines to push deep. That struggle creates concentration and focus. Cool nights preserve acidity, while long daylight hours draw out richness. The result is a Merlot that feels both mountain-born and finely tuned.

2018 was a vintage of patience. A long, even growing season with steady warmth and few extremes gave fruit the chance to hang and mature slowly. The tannins came polished, the acids preserved, and flavors fully developed without any sense of over-ripeness. It was a year tailor-made for balance, and this bottling carries that equilibrium with ease.

The winery’s story adds its own layer. Named for Mitchell Ming’s twins, Korbin and Kameron, the project has always been about more than just wine—it’s about legacy, place, and family. Under the farming guidance of Phil Coturri, Sonoma’s legendary organic viticulturist, and the winemaking hand of Timothy Milos, each release is designed to express site above all. This Merlot, more than most, underscores that philosophy.

Too often framed as Cabernet’s gentler sibling, Merlot finds in Moon Mountain a voice of its own: muscular but not rigid, refined without being shy. The 2018 bottling proves that in the right place, Merlot doesn’t need comparison—it holds its ground on its own terms.

This is a wine built for both immediacy and patience. It drinks beautifully now with its balance of richness and lift, but its mountain backbone promises a decade of unfolding depth—secondary notes of tobacco leaf, cedar, and dried herb waiting just beneath the surface.

Korbin Kameron 2018 Merlot—mountain-grown, family-shaped, and layered with quiet strength.