2019 Matthiasson Merlot Ashes & Diamonds

Community Tasting Notes (6) Avg Score: 93.2 points

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View Rob-Rah's profile
  • Report Issue

  5/24/2024 - Rob-Rah Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Plum and ripe hedgerow fruit. Bit of simmering heat on the nose. Palate sweet fruit. Grippy tannins but ripe. Good length but not much in the way of complexity - lacking floral or mineral notes beyond a certain herbal bitterness. Slightly hot - though label says only 13.5%. It brings to mind some of the better SE-European wines, with ripe fruit, bitter herbs, but anonymity. This is tasty to be sure, but at the moment is simple, and even a bit lacking in acid, leading to a slightly flabby feel. I cant' see any tasting notes for older wines from this on CT and I'm unsure about all this. For drinking now it's priced 2x its value. It feels like it needs a blend to add some better structure, and the round generosity, lack of acid and precision, and comparative simplicity, makes me question its ageability.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View VoVo's profile
  • Report Issue

  1/6/2024 - VoVo Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Absolutely excellent by any measure. Still drinking nicely … we opened but did not decant, and let it come to temp before drinking with a brats, potatoes, root vegetables dinner. Absolutely delightful.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View VoVo's profile
  • Report Issue

  3/13/2023 - VoVo Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Wow. This knocked our socks off on day one, day two all the way until we drank the last few ounces on day ten. Like all wines from Matthiasson, this is not at all what you would suspect from a Napa merlot. This winemaker reliably makes the case that the way the grapes are handled and where they are grown are far more important as shaping factors than the varietal itself. This Merlot is smooth, with some lovely cinnamon, bark, and very slight and pleasant pyre zines on the nose and mouth. We will definitely buy more if we can. Agree with prior reviewers that this has many years left on it.

  1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View wgmccallum's profile
  • Report Issue

  11/28/2022 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Not a detailed note, but this was utterly delicious in its windings of penetrating fruit, intensely attached and winding acid frame, crisp tannic base, aromas of red fruit and cinnamon bark. Lovely with a mushroom, egg, and broccoli couscous bowl.

  1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View mayakacz's profile
  • Report Issue

  9/17/2022 - mayakacz Likes this wine:

  Lighter Merlot. Dark cherry.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

View all 6 Community Tasting Notes

Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.