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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2007 and 2011 (based on 9 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 88.4 pts. and median of 88 pts. in 30 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Doc90 on 12/25/2018 & rated 88 points: Fruity nose with plum cake and Washington cherries. Rich and ripe red fruit, lots of Washington cherries with hints of classic plum. Pretty much solely fruit-driven, but the fruit is tasty. (818 views) | | | Tasted by bacchus on 11/18/2016 & rated 90 points: shared with pat at selkirk manor to celebrate the end of the work week. i had overlooked this bottle as i thought that it had already been consumed. was also holding on to this bottle for nostalgic reasons, having met mr. swanson when he came to boca baccanal a number of years ago. i have repeated his story many times about serving swanson dinners to his college buddies. this proved to be a mark twain bottle with reports of its demise being exaggeated and premature. to me, the wine was charming and graceful. generous nose. mid weight in the mouth. mostly plum fruit with some vanilla. fine sedimentation that adhered to the bottle and did not interfere with enjoying the wine. a truly memorable experience. (1555 views) | | | Tasted by g money on 4/27/2015 & rated 84 points: Still a little alive, tar on the finish, most of the fruit is gone at this point. (2266 views) | | | Tasted by JPMC on 12/31/2013 & rated 85 points: Past it's prime. Fruit faded fast and what remained was a more astringent taste. (2692 views) | | | Tasted by rdsboca on 7/13/2010 & rated 84 points: I didn't get this wine at all. Disjointed, unintersting, just a bowl of semi ripe fruit. (4211 views) | | | Tasted by 7111 on 6/20/2010 & rated 89 points: This one cellared well. (3590 views) | | | Tasted by kaahnman on 4/27/2009 & rated 88 points: drank with prime rib dinner, wine was tasty and had a lot of structure left. Fluctuated from bright and fruity notes to darker, rounder and tannic. (3581 views) | | | Tasted by Mats_L on 4/13/2009 & rated 86 points: Slightly past its peak, good bouquet, but weak mid-palate. (3207 views) | | | Tasted by Jump29 on 12/26/2008 & rated 84 points: OK (2846 views) | | | Tasted by beezer6 on 1/23/2008 & rated 92 points: Classic medium to full bodied merlot.
Lush notes of fresh and dried plums. Vanilla and some nice interlaced oak in the secondary aromas.
The palate is lush and opulent. Balanced with excellent acidity and tannin structure. A truly solid wine for under $30. (2751 views) | | | Tasted by lano on 12/18/2007 & rated 89 points: Silky smooth and moderately tannic. This would be a hit at a party as it likely appeals to a variety of tastes, but on its own it doesn't really shine. I agree with other users that it's just too one dimensional to warrant higher scores. Having said that, my wife loved it. (3037 views) | | | Tasted by Ombibulous on 10/13/2007 & rated 88 points: Half bottle cost $15. The closure is cork but in excellent condition. The colour is dark maroon with shades of Cordovan. The nose is aromatic. The flavour is rich and robust. The tannins are firm and chewy. This is a Cab-like Merlot. Delish! Excellent (87.5). (3075 views) | | | Tasted by EMichels on 10/5/2007 & rated 93 points: Red Carpet Wine Tasting: Great nose; Dark; Lots of tannins; Needs time (3619 views) | | | Tasted by SDWineLovers on 9/9/2007 & rated 90 points: A true meeting of the Oakville and Bordeaux minds, this wine retains the weight and texture of the New World, with the nuances and complexity of Pomerol. The nose exhibits dried cherry, raspberry and a smoky blackberry, with the flavors in the mouth echoing this impression nicely. The fine-grained tannins for which our merlots are known provide the round, ripe texture of this wine. While drinking surprisingly well today, the 2003 Swanson merlot will improve and be enjoyable for at least the next six to eight years. (3130 views) | | | Tasted by cmr on 7/19/2007 & rated 88 points: Gave it an 88 which is a split between the 2 days. Day 1 was an 86 .. was tight and not giving much in the way of fruit or nose but had good body and structure. Day 2 would have given it a 90, still had good body and structure but was showing very nice red fruits. (3271 views) | | | Tasted by danstrings on 6/17/2007 & rated 87 points: BBQ AC Neil et al--In its defense, this was the last wine of the night so palates were fatigued for sure. Still, I found it woody and one dimensional. Silky crowd pleaser in a way, but one dimensional. Others seem to have liked it after it opened up a bit, I'll retaste as it has been under Vaccu-Vin for a day. (3439 views) | | | Tasted by silton on 4/1/2007 & rated 88 points: The initial nose of wood and red fruits, maybe some currant, didn't light my fire. But this wine improved with air over the next 2 hours. Flavors of black cherry and plum with some vanilla and a hint of herbs. Modest length at first, but that improved with time and had some chewy depth by the 2nd half of the bottle. Tannins are a bit much at this point, but manageable. Not something I'll go out of my way for, but a good bottle. (3308 views) | | | Tasted by leloupedevin on 1/20/2007 & rated 89 points: Tons of fruit on the nose. Aroma of blackberry, vanilla, maybe cranberry, plum, hints toasted American oak. Big tannins, big napa fruit, same fruit as on the nose. Long finish. Somewhat unbalanced - seems to be young perhaps. Tannins bigger than the fruit. Needs more time in the bottle. (3402 views) | | | Tasted by mmurry on 12/16/2006 & rated 88 points: Ring in the Holiday (Farpointe Cellar): This was a pretty good wine. It had lots of aromas and flavors. The nose had black currant, plum, cherry, and vanilla. The palate was very smooth, and had blackberries, cherry, spice, and a touch of oak. The tannins and finish were good. (3885 views) | | | Tasted by drdebs on 8/5/2006 & rated 90 points: Extremely good merlot. Dark garnet in color, with lots of berries on the palate and a grip of warm tannins that were in balance with the fruit. Would definitely buy more. (3573 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Swanson Producer websiteMerlotMerlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to be a diminutive of merle, the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color of the grape. Its softness and "fleshiness", combined with its earlier ripening, makes Merlot a popular grape for blending with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, which tends to be higher in tannin.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Oakville |
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