This bottle a bit past it’s prime but still quite good. Deep color, almost cab-like, with a fair bit of sediment thrown. Subdued nose of black fruit. Lush blackberry and woodland flavors, but a touch of bitterness creeping in. Medium finish. I’ve always loved these early Twomey merlots for their intensity and structure. Thinking back, 2006 seems like a lifetime ago.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Clotted cream and dark berry jam on the nose. Herbaceous lingering silky tannins with hints of white sage, violet and cinnamon on the palate. Low acid yet complex moderate body. Every sip pulls you back for another.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose of dark fruit, licorice, and allspice, same on the palate, this was an auction bottle purchased 5 years ago for $20, very tasty, slightly tired, medium body, great QPR, suggest you immediately drink up as 550 bottles are listed in Community Holdings, medium/long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ran thru an aerator to open. Dark fruits and licorice on the nose. Tanins were almost nonexistent , but may be a bottle anomaly based on other reviews. Low acidity added to the smooth mouth-feel. Balanced, but not much "pizazz" in terms of layers or structure. A little flat, maybe(?). Again, may have been this particular bottle. Would guess this was drinking better a few years back.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Served with a Rib Eye steak and Chili. Initial tasting on opening, smooth, supple, soft. Smooth over the lips, gentle in mouth, clean down throat. Nice and fresh for a 11 year old Merlot. Past experience with Twomey, tends to be a lighter and easy drinking Merlot.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Found the wine disappointing. The promise in the nose did not meet the expectations of the palate because of the lack of fruit and the amount of tannin. That said, this is a fully mature wine and reminds me of Bordeaux that actually matched well with the beef. On its own, not much to love. Color medium garnet, nose of plum, black cherry and earth of medium intensity. Finish wasn't just short, pretty much not there.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Purchased from the tasting room in napa. My note from tasting was that it is still tannic but elegant. Wine was consumed out of the Pinot glass and I think it made the difference. Very pretty nose, perfume like with apparent smell of wood and streak of earthy funk for complexity. The palate is dominated by red berries and dried meat all framed in spicy oak. The texture is velvety. I often do not like apparent oak presence but here it worked for me while I could see others would take points away.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted at Twomey-Healdsburg. Lovely nose of plum, earth, and spice, more of the same on the palate, definitely at its peak, tasted side by side comparison with the 2009 Merlot, medium body, Kathy liked it a lot, I preferred the 2009, medium finish
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Blind at Paul's: stewed figs, dates, plum, cherry, licorice, fennel, balsamic (V.A.), meaty (brett)dried flowers petal; molasses (newer oak), moving into developed flavors with curing spices, stewed red-black fruits, anise, garrigue, high tannins, but ripe and plummy. Guessed a super ripe CdP, but low and behold, a Napa Merlot with a little age! Quite amazing as most of us guessed old world.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Napa Valley Wine and Food Excursion 2013; 9/30/2013-10/5/2013 (Napa Valley, California): A blend of 94% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, this medium garnet wine shows a rich mix of black fruits, tobacco, loamy earth and anise. Medium-bodied, it retains a backbone of medium acidity and medium-weight, dry tannins. The alcohol (listed as 14.1%) is nicely integrated and the wine shows flavors which mirror the nose. Solid in the middle, it concludes with a medium-length, dusty finish. While certainly well-made and enjoyable, this wine is unlikely to evolve into something more refined. Drink now-2018.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
gave this one to HRH and friends and they LOVED it. From my prior notes, I thought this was at it's end so was surprised at their response. Maybe my prior bottle was the exception.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very nice balance to this wine. soft and restrained for a napa merlot. Plummy with some wood. Almost a banana like aroma on the nose. Tannins were pretty supple.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Third of four bottles that I planned to drink during a two week period. My opinion remains the same; it is an amazing bottle of Merlot, explosive with fruit, nice finish. Nicest Merlot in in California.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Big time California Merlot! I'm not sure if there is another Merlot in California that could compete with Twomey, and I would be completely open for suggestions. Nose was fruit. The first sip was instant sweet fruit. As it continued to decant, the wine balanced out into an all around great Merlot.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had a nice soft feel on the front end. Deep red red fruit and good spice with a dryness on the finish. Some green in the back palate makes me think I may have let this go too long and missed its prime.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wine Club had a party and I brought my 06 Twomey Merlot.Light,bright refined and very well thought by our crew.Smooth and decanted for 30 minutes.Just a nice wine consumed at its peak.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A bit thin & lack luster on first sip -- better fruit after opened up (not decanted, but poured in glasses to set an hour or so), but either past prime or just a weaker vintage. No complexity left.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
great aromas, dark fruit,figs. Unfortunately, on a PnP,the flavors did not match. mid-weight, but an almost sour effect, fruit was quiet, not acidy or tannic. light finish. my fear is that this passed its peak some years ago. The lights are out, the doors are closed, and she has shut down. If you have any of these, do not wait to drink. I have one more, so hopefully, it's a better experience.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Showed well. Should have decanted a little, after reading other tasting notes. Well balanced, and definitely not dominated by tannins or acidity. Will probably drink my remaining bottle sometime over the next year, and the mag within 2 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
was an outstanding Merlot. was very flavorful, nice fruit and nose with tons of body. This is the Merlot that really lets people know Merlot's are more than colored water when well made. This did lose a lot after having it open for over a day. So once you pop you want to finish this bottle of grapes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decided to try the 06 after the recent poor showing of the 05, after 3 hours decanting on the nose there was dark cherry, sweet plum and raspberry, smooth mouth feel with hints of chocolate and nice dark fruit and sweet tannins, with a below medium finish no real noticeable acidity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Soft and spicy. Very very nice merlot especially since I'm not a merlot fan. Well balanced not very acidic. Not fruity at all more of an earthy wine. This is after a 45 min decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This Merlot fails to show me the mid-90's like I was hoping and for QPR that's a shame. I know it could be easily a 93 point Merlot. Not that I'm complaining about 89! The wine poured with a nice medium red stain on the cork with about 2mm bleed through. The wine was allowed to sit for 10-15 minutes and wasn't decanted. That's probably where I should have decanted for about an hour or two instead. Wine poured a nice darker, typical merlot color into the glass. Nose was very much consistent with earth, minerals, and acidity. On the palate was a wide variety of things - all the way from strawberry to raspberry to black cherry to leather that started to peer through in the mid-palate. Earthy characteristics throughout the midpalate and finish. The body and structure of the wine was decent and showed itself with oaky tannin. Wine was decent, but probably would have scored higher if it was decanted. That's my fault, and I'll decant the other bottle when I drink it here in the next month. FYI this wine is ready to drink now and honestly I don't think it has the longevity to last more than another 2-3 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nice yummy Merlot. Nice ruby red in the glass. Juicy red fruit on the nose. Big fleshy red fruit on the palate. One of the better Merlots I've had, but a tad overpriced. I would buy this again when it's on sale..
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Well this followed an '09 Ch Godeau from St. Emillion that was 95% Merlot (and I only scored 86 pts) and again I was underwhelmed by this bottle. Was not getting any of the spicy Merlot or bright fruit or chocolate notes. Boring bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Twomey Visit (Calistoga location): Notes of chocolate, black cherry and red fruit. Balanced, with flavors of cherry, plums and cocoa powder. Finishes well with just a hint of spice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Notes from night 2 - wine was served at a charity wine tasting and I got to take the remains home. Tobacco, raspberry, herbal. On palate, fulll bodied with more of a dried fruit (cranberry / red currants) profile - very structured with medium+ finish and nice drying tannins. This was a very nice bottle of wine - given there was no degradation on night 2 I'd decant for 4-5 hours if drinking now. 91+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
We drank this at a Ronald McDonald House fund raiser at Sullivan's. I thought this was pretty simple and boring but not necessarily bad. Ann enjoyed it more than me. Soft black fruits with some vanilla. No structure. Blah.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I'm not a big Merlot fan, but this was a solid effort. It had dark cherries, blackberries, dark currant, cassis and licorice with a touch of black pepper. The finish was complete with some smokey heavy oak tannins. The mid palate lacked a little, which made it a little hollow. However it was good. I felt it was a B/B+ wine, giving it a 87, without the mid palate.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
6/11/2021 - PMJak11 wrote: 87 Points
Short decant. Not flawed, but definitely over the hill. Decent nose of earth and cherries. Wine is obviously tired. Not bad by any means.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/30/2020 - fredshouse wrote: 90 Points
This bottle a bit past it’s prime but still quite good. Deep color, almost cab-like, with a fair bit of sediment thrown. Subdued nose of black fruit. Lush blackberry and woodland flavors, but a touch of bitterness creeping in. Medium finish. I’ve always loved these early Twomey merlots for their intensity and structure. Thinking back, 2006 seems like a lifetime ago.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/20/2017 - Jaredwins wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for a hour
Clotted cream and dark berry jam on the nose.
Herbaceous lingering silky tannins with hints of white sage, violet and cinnamon on the palate.
Low acid yet complex moderate body.
Every sip pulls you back for another.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/28/2016 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 88 Points
Nose of dark fruit, licorice, and allspice, same on the palate, this was an auction bottle purchased 5 years ago for $20, very tasty, slightly tired, medium body, great QPR, suggest you immediately drink up as 550 bottles are listed in Community Holdings, medium/long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/20/2016 - FGS wrote: 88 Points
Ran thru an aerator to open. Dark fruits and licorice on the nose. Tanins were almost nonexistent , but may be a bottle anomaly based on other reviews. Low acidity added to the smooth mouth-feel. Balanced, but not much "pizazz" in terms of layers or structure. A little flat, maybe(?). Again, may have been this particular bottle. Would guess this was drinking better a few years back.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/20/2016 - Ricardito's Vino wrote:
Served with a Rib Eye steak and Chili.
Initial tasting on opening, smooth, supple, soft.
Smooth over the lips, gentle in mouth, clean down throat.
Nice and fresh for a 11 year old Merlot.
Past experience with Twomey, tends to be a lighter and easy drinking Merlot.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/27/2015 - SumCellar wrote: 90 Points
Despite its age, this wine is still showing good fruit and structure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/28/2015 - Coachron13 wrote: flawed
Mildew smell and taste. Down the drain.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/28/2015 - Backdoctor wrote: 89 Points
silky smooth mouthfeel, very good but fruit seemed a bit light. Drink it now
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/20/2014 - Coachron13 Likes this wine: 90 Points
A nice light merlot. Was surprisingly good paired with spicy food. Opened two hours before drinking, held up well throughout the night.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/28/2014 - efc wrote: 85 Points
Found the wine disappointing. The promise in the nose did not meet the expectations of the palate because of the lack of fruit and the amount of tannin. That said, this is a fully mature wine and reminds me of Bordeaux that actually matched well with the beef. On its own, not much to love. Color medium garnet, nose of plum, black cherry and earth of medium intensity. Finish wasn't just short, pretty much not there.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/15/2013 - megropolis wrote: 92 Points
Purchased from the tasting room in napa. My note from tasting was that it is still tannic but elegant. Wine was consumed out of the Pinot glass and I think it made the difference. Very pretty nose, perfume like with apparent smell of wood and streak of earthy funk for complexity. The palate is dominated by red berries and dried meat all framed in spicy oak. The texture is velvety. I often do not like apparent oak presence but here it worked for me while I could see others would take points away.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/24/2013 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 88 Points
Tasted at Twomey-Healdsburg. Lovely nose of plum, earth, and spice, more of the same on the palate, definitely at its peak, tasted side by side comparison with the 2009 Merlot, medium body, Kathy liked it a lot, I preferred the 2009, medium finish
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/7/2013 - peternelson wrote: 91 Points
Blind at Paul's: stewed figs, dates, plum, cherry, licorice, fennel, balsamic (V.A.), meaty (brett)dried flowers petal; molasses (newer oak), moving into developed flavors with curing spices, stewed red-black fruits, anise, garrigue, high tannins, but ripe and plummy. Guessed a super ripe CdP, but low and behold, a Napa Merlot with a little age! Quite amazing as most of us guessed old world.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/2/2013 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 88 Points
Napa Valley Wine and Food Excursion 2013; 9/30/2013-10/5/2013 (Napa Valley, California): A blend of 94% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, this medium garnet wine shows a rich mix of black fruits, tobacco, loamy earth and anise. Medium-bodied, it retains a backbone of medium acidity and medium-weight, dry tannins. The alcohol (listed as 14.1%) is nicely integrated and the wine shows flavors which mirror the nose. Solid in the middle, it concludes with a medium-length, dusty finish. While certainly well-made and enjoyable, this wine is unlikely to evolve into something more refined. Drink now-2018.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/14/2013 - wine247365 wrote:
gave this one to HRH and friends and they LOVED it. From my prior notes, I thought this was at it's end so was surprised at their response. Maybe my prior bottle was the exception.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/31/2013 - wine maestro wrote: 87 Points
Lisa's Summer Tasting Event
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/3/2013 - Justin Bray wrote:
Very nice balance to this wine. soft and restrained for a napa merlot. Plummy with some wood. Almost a banana like aroma on the nose. Tannins were pretty supple.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/3/2013 - Red Wine Johnny Likes this wine: 91 Points
Third of four bottles that I planned to drink during a two week period. My opinion remains the same; it is an amazing bottle of Merlot, explosive with fruit, nice finish. Nicest Merlot in in California.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/27/2013 - Red Wine Johnny Likes this wine: 91 Points
It is our second bottle in 3 days. This Merlot drinking perfectly right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/25/2013 - Red Wine Johnny Likes this wine: 91 Points
Big time California Merlot! I'm not sure if there is another Merlot in California that could compete with Twomey, and I would be completely open for suggestions. Nose was fruit. The first sip was instant sweet fruit. As it continued to decant, the wine balanced out into an all around great Merlot.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/2/2013 - seifer187 wrote: 88 Points
Not bad, did not need much air either which was surprising given the year.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/6/2013 - Pufferfish22 Likes this wine:
Dark plum like nose. The wine is complex with sugar/dark fruit mid palate followed by light tannins and spices that end in a pleasantly long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/12/2013 - jmottern Likes this wine: 86 Points
This was a nice but not great merlot. The fruit was a little thin or weak to my taste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/2/2013 - erikjwithak wrote: 86 Points
Had a nice soft feel on the front end. Deep red red fruit and good spice with a dryness on the finish. Some green in the back palate makes me think I may have let this go too long and missed its prime.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2013 - MagnumVi Likes this wine: 90 Points
Wine Club had a party and I brought my 06 Twomey Merlot.Light,bright refined and very well thought by our crew.Smooth and decanted for 30 minutes.Just a nice wine consumed at its peak.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/12/2012 - Tonythefish wrote: 87 Points
See prior notes
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/23/2012 - StarM wrote: 86 Points
A bit thin & lack luster on first sip -- better fruit after opened up (not decanted, but poured in glasses to set an hour or so), but either past prime or just a weaker vintage. No complexity left.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/12/2012 - ecola Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tight and tannic. Medium to full body. Flavors of black tea and dark fruit. Would make a very nice food wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/23/2012 - wine247365 wrote: 75 Points
great aromas, dark fruit,figs. Unfortunately, on a PnP,the flavors did not match. mid-weight, but an almost sour effect, fruit was quiet, not acidy or tannic. light finish. my fear is that this passed its peak some years ago. The lights are out, the doors are closed, and she has shut down. If you have any of these, do not wait to drink. I have one more, so hopefully, it's a better experience.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/23/2012 - jeremy@ wrote: 85 Points
Clear deep purple
Clean medium nose oak black fruit chocolate
Dry high acid high tannin long finish
Black fruit chocolate oak.
after breathing for a bit the aroma increases getting more cherry plum and chocolate.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/27/2012 - Tonythefish wrote: 85 Points
Nice merlot - softened tannins but not a lot left
Probably time to drink this wine
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/21/2012 - Murf130 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Showed well. Should have decanted a little, after reading other tasting notes. Well balanced, and definitely not dominated by tannins or acidity. Will probably drink my remaining bottle sometime over the next year, and the mag within 2 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/14/2012 - Tonythefish wrote: 87 Points
Nice CA merlot - soft tannins and decent finish. Drink now - almost past it's prime
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/28/2012 - BigSchmove wrote: 91 Points
was an outstanding Merlot. was very flavorful, nice fruit and nose with tons of body. This is the Merlot that really lets people know Merlot's are more than colored water when well made. This did lose a lot after having it open for over a day. So once you pop you want to finish this bottle of grapes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/30/2012 - eoinhharkins wrote: 88 Points
Decided to try the 06 after the recent poor showing of the 05, after 3 hours decanting on the nose there was dark cherry, sweet plum and raspberry, smooth mouth feel with hints of chocolate and nice dark fruit and sweet tannins, with a below medium finish no real noticeable acidity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/19/2012 - Tarstmartin wrote:
Ok, not an exceptional merlot Reminds me of a chilean blend. Pleasant buttery flavour on 2nd try
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/14/2012 - amflinn wrote: 87 Points
This has a strange faint dirty diaper smell to it that several tasters picked up on. Taste was more pleasant, but not my favorite.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/17/2012 - msr wrote: 89 Points
A very good Merlot, but a bit overpriced.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/3/2012 - Vandi wrote: 90 Points
Soft and spicy. Very very nice merlot especially since I'm not a merlot fan. Well balanced not very acidic. Not fruity at all more of an earthy wine. This is after a 45 min decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2011 - mflesh wrote: 89 Points
This Merlot fails to show me the mid-90's like I was hoping and for QPR that's a shame. I know it could be easily a 93 point Merlot. Not that I'm complaining about 89! The wine poured with a nice medium red stain on the cork with about 2mm bleed through. The wine was allowed to sit for 10-15 minutes and wasn't decanted. That's probably where I should have decanted for about an hour or two instead. Wine poured a nice darker, typical merlot color into the glass. Nose was very much consistent with earth, minerals, and acidity. On the palate was a wide variety of things - all the way from strawberry to raspberry to black cherry to leather that started to peer through in the mid-palate. Earthy characteristics throughout the midpalate and finish. The body and structure of the wine was decent and showed itself with oaky tannin. Wine was decent, but probably would have scored higher if it was decanted. That's my fault, and I'll decant the other bottle when I drink it here in the next month. FYI this wine is ready to drink now and honestly I don't think it has the longevity to last more than another 2-3 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/12/2011 - tjdripper wrote: 90 Points
Nice yummy Merlot. Nice ruby red in the glass. Juicy red fruit on the nose. Big fleshy red fruit on the palate. One of the better Merlots I've had, but a tad overpriced. I would buy this again when it's on sale..
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/9/2011 - JenXH wrote: 89 Points
Very good Merlot. Chocolate, cherries, very smooth. A big high-priced, even on clearance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/2/2011 - JonGray wrote: 91 Points
ordered - needs a lot of open time - but very complex - nice in last 2 glasses
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/22/2011 - Arch57 wrote: 87 Points
Well this followed an '09 Ch Godeau from St. Emillion that was 95% Merlot (and I only scored 86 pts) and again I was underwhelmed by this bottle. Was not getting any of the spicy Merlot or bright fruit or chocolate notes. Boring bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/7/2011 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Twomey Visit (Calistoga location): Notes of chocolate, black cherry and red fruit. Balanced, with flavors of cherry, plums and cocoa powder. Finishes well with just a hint of spice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/19/2011 - CWilliam wrote: 91 Points
Notes from night 2 - wine was served at a charity wine tasting and I got to take the remains home. Tobacco, raspberry, herbal. On palate, fulll bodied with more of a dried fruit (cranberry / red currants) profile - very structured with medium+ finish and nice drying tannins. This was a very nice bottle of wine - given there was no degradation on night 2 I'd decant for 4-5 hours if drinking now. 91+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/2/2010 - Outplaying wrote:
We drank this at a Ronald McDonald House fund raiser at Sullivan's. I thought this was pretty simple and boring but not necessarily bad. Ann enjoyed it more than me. Soft black fruits with some vanilla. No structure. Blah.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/7/2010 - BigBoy_Sonoma wrote: 87 Points
I'm not a big Merlot fan, but this was a solid effort. It had dark cherries, blackberries, dark currant, cassis and licorice with a touch of black pepper. The finish was complete with some smokey heavy oak tannins. The mid palate lacked a little, which made it a little hollow. However it was good. I felt it was a B/B+ wine, giving it a 87, without the mid palate.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/6/2010 - Xfactor wrote: 84 Points
Hype - basic merlot, nothing exciting.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment