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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2011 and 2014 (based on 5 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 87.6 pts. and median of 89 pts. in 52 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Cayman1 on 4/20/2014 & rated 84 points: Meh. Nothing special merlot. Middle of the road fruit, a bit over-produced. Overly acidic finish. (3757 views) | | | Tasted by TPowe on 5/29/2013 & rated 89 points: This was much better than expected. Enjoyable wine. (4614 views) | | | Tasted by gmbdds on 12/27/2012 & rated 89 points: Notes of currant and plum with spices. Soft and very drinkable. Drank with meatloaf which matched well. (5028 views) | | | Tasted by Texas Pete on 11/4/2012 & rated 86 points: Much better the day after opening. (5462 views) | | | Tasted by DTWOB on 11/3/2012 & rated 91 points: Very nice p sim. notes to my 2-5-12 entry (2534 views) | | | Tasted by Tiderunner22 on 11/3/2012 & rated 89 points: Same as my previous notes. (5261 views) | | | Tasted by Shipleys on 9/30/2012 & rated 83 points: Ok bottle. Nose and follow a little decent body. Overall, an average bottle. (2018 views) | | | Tasted by Chiantihound on 9/5/2012 & rated 90 points: Ruby red. Nose of oak and red fruit that produces an almost candy like flavor. Very Californian in my mind. Same follow through on the palate. Not much complexity, lower than perfect acidity, but still pleasant with some persistence into a short to medium finish. Overall very enjoyable and as someone said below, lacking in spice. Imho - very typical well made Cali Merlot. (1672 views) | | | Tasted by Chiantihound on 7/7/2012 & rated 89 points: Medium dark and opaque. Nose of smoke and oak, although not overdone. Blackberry and plum in mouth. Medium finish. Nice change. (1884 views) | | | Tasted by saxual on 5/13/2012 & rated 89 points: Dinner W/ Dave, John, & Stacy in Kingston with BBQ burgers, mushrooms, onions, great beef, all the condiments. Nice-- the wine fit nicely in with all of these after a one our decant to take the edge off. Solid 88-89'er. Pretty consistent all the way through, though I did notice a lot of earthy feel to it-- not in a real negative way; just unusual. Plenty of fruit for taste, low on spices; but a thoroughly pleasant taste from beginning to end. (2282 views) | | | Tasted by golfwine on 4/14/2012 & rated 78 points: (With reference to two previous posts - re: Decanting inexpensive wine and the Misleading by Critics on value wines, as well as the relative cost threshold for the same.):
The current issue of WS has this wine rated a 91. As such, I dropped into Costco to grab a bottle and discovered that they still had bottles of the '07 left so, got one of each for comparison...(ignoring the "07 'cuz it was even weaker than this '08).
Initially intriguing aromatics but flavors that were neither crowd-pleasing (i.e., forward & friendly) nor varietally-typical. Rather, seriously disjointed and quirky. In fact, it was so unpleasing that if I was drinking alone, I'd have dumped the bottle (or more accurately relegated it to cooking wine). Instead I alternated 2oz sips between the two and THINK that I might have sensed a hint of something redeeming in my final sip - ~75mins in??? As such (and with a discount price sub-$15), I might just give this another chance; giving it some decanter treatment.
...for now, my score is generous. (2463 views) | | | Tasted by jeffuken on 3/29/2012 & rated 91 points: Somewhat fruity, not too much spice, medium bodied, and an in-the-middle reddish hue. Smooth and supple. (2568 views) | | | Tasted by Tiderunner22 on 3/10/2012 & rated 89 points: Rich nose of dark red fruit. Flavor is full bodied with lots of fruit and oak that carries thru the long finish. (2813 views) | | | Tasted by mreinitz on 3/1/2012 & rated 89 points: Full, rich nose of red berries and oak. PLenty of red berry and cherry fruit on the palate, along with lots of oak on the midpalate. Lots of tannin on the finish that wasn't a problem for me, but might be a bit much for some people. I think that the wine will pick up a point or two once the tannins settle down. (2812 views) | | | Tasted by DTWOB on 2/13/2012 & rated 89 points: Popped, decanted and poured. Yooung and tight - nice nose, lots of fruit. (2906 views) | | | Tasted by DTWOB on 2/5/2012 & rated 91 points: Popped, decanted, consumed over 3 hrs. Great QPR! Deep dark, inky with an aroma of dark fruit filling the room during the decant. Once poured, the inviting appearance, nose and glass staining body compel you to gulp rather than sip. Powerful plumb and berry fruits with hints of toast, mocha and (light) oak charge foward immediately ... then the tannins and acidity kick in to provide support and interest to the experience and help carry flavor into a long, tapered fnish. (2933 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Markham 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)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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