2014 O'Shaughnessy Merlot Howell Mountain

Community Tasting Notes (14) Avg Score: 92.8 points

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  1/14/2023 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 92 Points

  No time to decant after a long day of working the chilly market, so sitting in the nice warm jet tub drinking this with various cheeses, pretzels and a nice dry salumi. Would have been a 94 if it had enough air but alas, we couldn't wait. Great dark red/black Merlot fruit, gentle spice component, balanced tannins and acidity. It was nice but not remarkable with considerable sediment in the bottle and I feel some of the blame lies with, moi.....this is one of the few winery wine clubs I would consider re-joining going forward in retirement, fwiw.

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  8/31/2022 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Almost 2 years since my last bottle and it still needs 1-2 hours of air to blossom. Notes pretty much as before with beautiful juicy mountain fruit. Mild tannins remain and there's good herbal lift to the fruit as well. Fine, grainy sediment in the glass that is well-stained from the dense fruit. Beautiful acidity emerges over time and really elongates the fruity ending. Must be a well liked wine as there's exactly zero bottles out there in the marketplace for sale.

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  8/10/2021 - Hi.its.Don.4.Wine Likes this wine: 95 Points

  I am not drinking any f****** merlot! - Think Again!
  
  Ever since the famous pronouncement by Miles in the film “Sideways” in 2004: "No, if anyone orders merlot, I'm leaving. I am NOT drinking any f****** merlot!" the Merlot marketplace seemed destined for disaster.
  
  Unfortunately, his disdain for the grape was well-founded as many producers back then would rip out other varietals to plant Merlot to keep up with demand. This led to a drop in quality and thus a drop in sales. The good news is that since that time there has been a revival in producing quality Merlot wines.
  
  In my most recent book “Almost everything I want to tell you about wine, or you might want to ask!” I wax poetic about Merlot; everything about its natural characteristics should place this wine on every red wine drinker’s table. The body of the wine ranging from medium to full, beautiful fruit notes that are complemented by nice, but not overpowering, acidity, and a finish that is smooth with soft tannins and a whisp of spice. “What’s not to like?” as I say in my book.
  
  It took a while to finally overcome what was called “The Sideways Effect” and for producers to undo bad planting and quality issues, but they have. Just so happens that the wine for this post is one of the best Merlots I’ve ever tasted.
  
  From their estate vineyards up on Howell Mountain, this 100% Merlot wine is just stunning. I always knew I liked mountain fruit, but that has been predominantly Cabernet-based wines. I almost had to do a double-take with the label to make sure I didn’t grab the wrong wine.
  
  As I mentioned above, the wine fills the glass with a dark elixir from which emanates a bouquet of dark fruit. That rich full-bodied blue and blackberry fruit on the palate brightened by the balance of the acidity. Soft tannins on the finish with that slight spice note so notable for Merlot. Even with seven years in the bottle, this wine has many more years ahead of it, well, except for this specific bottle, I drank it all!
  
  When looking at a restaurant wine list, don’t overlook the Merlots, the higher-end wines might just be some of the best wines for the money.
  
  (My endeavors to determine the sustainable practices of the winery could not be confirmed through my research and the winery did not get back to me on this issue.)
  
  Cheers

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  2/1/2021 - pkouchu wrote: 94 Points

  black cherries, mocha, tobacco, licorice, smoked meats and refined minerality
  
  full throttle merlot, howell mountain. mountain merlot is just better.

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  11/22/2020 - Gjagai Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Color hue clarity: deep, dark, inky, purple, leggy
  
  Aroma bouquet: perfume, cherry, fruit, pepper
  
  Taste texture finish balance: ripe fruit, pepper, slight tannins, dry across mid tounge, lingering finish, smooth, jam
  
  Overall: 5/5, it's 15.2% so drink slowly and enjoy over a long dinner.

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