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MERLOT
A classic red wine. Originally planted to be blended with the more tannic and astringent cabernets, but it can be absolutely wonderful on its own. A hearty, velvety standard.
Wines reviewed to date:
- Beautor (Napa Valley) Merlot, 1994
- Blackstone (Napa Valley) Grand Reserve, 1994
- Blackstone Winery (California), 1996
- Brutocao Estate Bottled (Mendocino Unfiltered, Unfined), 1992
- Chantefleur (France), 1993
- Chateau Soverain (Alexander Valley), 1992
- Covey Run (Yakima Valley), 1990
- Cypress (California), 1992
- DeLoach Estate Bottled (Russian River Valley), 1992
- Emerald Bay (California), 1992
- Fetzer Eagle Peak, 1994
- Fleur du Cap Coastal Region (S. Africa), 1991
- Forest Glen Barrel Select (California), 1993
- Forest Glen Barrel Select (California), 1995
- Frog's Leap (Napa Valley), 1993
- Haskovo Winery (Stambolovo Vineyard) Reserve, 1990
- Haskovo Winery, 1991
Haskovo Winery (from Stambolovo), 1991
- Ironstone (Kautz) Vineyards, 1993
- Joliesse Reserve (France), 1995
- Markham Vineyards (Napa Valley), 1992
- Menada (Bulgaria), 1994
- Menada (Stara Zagora, Bulgaria), 1995
- Premiat (Romania), 1990
- Pride (Napa Valley), 1991
- Santa Amelia (Chile) Colchagua, 1994
- Santa Rita (Chile), 1994
- Silver Lake (Columbia Valley), 1990
- Sutter Home (California), 1995
- Vin de Pays de l'Ile de Beaute', 1993
- Washington Hills (Columbia Valley) Varietal Select, 1994
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Haskovo Winery (from Stambolovo), 1991
Date Consumed: 12/97
Price: $8
Alcohol: 12%
Wine provided by Bulgarian Master Vintners
- BW: Engaging bouquet of cloves and licorice. Upon tasting, I find this wine flavorful, but somewhat harsh and thin. C
- SD: Hint of chocolate in the nose. Grip is weak, but the wine is not at all harsh -- this is very easy drinking. Overtones of oak suggest a calm, reserved elegance. Overall: a tad thin, but otherwise thumbs up. B-
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Blackstone Winery (California) Merlot, 1996
Date Consumed: 9/97
Price: ~ $12
Alcohol: 12.5%
- SD: Clear glass. Very smooth, relaxed but still filling. Quite fruity (PB and DK bandy words about like "plum" and "currant"; indeed now I can taste these). A little chocolate on the back of the tongue.
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Menada (Stara Zagora, Bulgaria) Merlot, 1995
Date Consumed: 8/97
Price: $6
Alcohol: 12%
Wine provided by Bulgarian Master Vintners
- BW: Bright fruity nose and good flavor to back it up. A good medium-bodied red wine for summer quaffing. Tasty! B+
- SD: Bright and young, still simple in character but full of life and flavor. Satiny finish. Receives good reviews from guests. This will be a good buy! B-
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Beautor (Napa Valley) Merlot, 1994
- Date Consumed: 04/97
- Price: $11 ($7.50 at End-O-Bin)
- Alcohol: 13.5%
- BW: Flavorful but harsh. It tries hard but fails to charm. Not bad for the price. C+
- SD: Peppery nose, spicy. Medium body, round edges, good flavor but slightly flabby. Mildly bitter in the finish. C
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Washington Hills (Columbia Valley) Varietal Select Merlot, 1994
- Date Consumed: 03/97
- Price: $10
- Alcohol: 12.5%
- BW: The Washington Hills merlot is a dark, mysterious maroon in color, with a lovely and satisfying flavor. Oaky, fruity, soft -- very well mannered. A wine you could take home to meet your parents. B
- SD: Smokey bouquet. Light and soft, with hints of chocolate fruit, but with a weak grip and a finish that degrades quickly to a bland finale. Starts great, but fades. C+
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Haskovo Winery Merlot, 1991
- BW: This is a good merlot, nicely balanced, very drinkable. A bit harsh in the finish, but it makes up for it with good acid and medium body. B-
- SD: A warm medium-bodied merlot, simple but without any obvious flaws. Tastes like a good quality bargain merlot... which, indeed, it is! (Didn't I say this about the last Bulgarian wine...?) C+
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Haskovo Winery (Stombolovo Vineyard, Bulgaria) Reserve Merlot, 1990
- BW: The aroma is warm and affectionate -- not overpowering. This is a lovely well-aged merlot, very quaffable; the acid is light but not wimpy. Considering the price of the wine, you can afford to splurge on a big hunk of brie, which would complement it perfectly. What a buy! B
- SD: This dark burgundy-red wine is soft... the label says "mellow" and that is indeed a good term. On the plus side, there is no harshness at all -- a smooth wine that is easy to drink. On the down side, it's not the heartiest of wines, almost coming off as watery. But the taste is commendably winning, an excellent merlot with no discernible flaws except the lack of punch. In this sense, I suppose it is an "elegant" wine. Though my preference is for more "oomph", I find the wine growing on me, and I keep coming back for more. Nicely dry, with a veneer of oak. Good bargain! B-
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Fetzer Vineyards Eagle Peak (California) Merlot, 1994
- Date Consumed: 9/14/96
- Price: $9 ($7.50 at End-O-Bin)
- Alcohol: 13.1%
- BW: This is an attractive wine, with typical merlot aromas and a pretty dark cherry color. It's dusty dry, or maybe my palate's been spoiled by the semi-sweet Rifleport Red we had earlier this week. It's trying to cajole me but I'm resisting its charms. C+
- SD: Oak in the nose. Very dry, almost sawdust, and it goes down willingly and happily. Definite oak and spice. The flavor is somewhat static, with a predictable finish that doesn't bring a climactic finale. Still, a solid showing. Enjoy this wine by firelight and with a nice hunk of cheese to round off the experience. B-
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Joliesse Merlot Reserve, Pays D'Oc (France), 1995
- Dates Consumed: 9/22/96, 9/23/96
- Price: $9 ($6 at End-O-Bin)
- Alcohol: 13%
- SD: I tasted this wine last night, so my review is based only on hazy memories. Yet the wine was a good enough bargain that I felt bad for the neglect... especially after Cliff showed me up by writing his review. I remember it as a dry, woody, and easy wine to drink at such a young age. Worth the price, at least at such a discount. C+
- CF: With purple and green label, golden sun-sign, purchased like a low-end wine, I expected little from this libation. And I was surprised, favorably. There was complexity of flavor, dank damp woods, green shady forests, not as strong but more interesting than I have come to expect from a merlot. The worst thing I could say about it was that it tasted like "regular" French table wine and not a merlot -- yet it was more interesting than comparable California merlots. C+
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Chateau Soverain Alexander Valley Merlot, 1992
- Date Purchased: 2/27/95 (local liquor store)
- Date Consumed: 2/27/95, 2/28/95
- Price: $13
- BW: Lush and satisfying. Quite dry, yet still very drinkable. Yum! An 'A' in my book! A
- SD: A bouquet of wine-soaked casks, the delightful smell of a wine-tasting cellar. Very dry -- almost dusty -- and smoky; it goes down easy. I would have guessed it was aged in small oak barrels. A
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Premiat Merlot (Dealul Mare Region, Romania), 1990
- Date Purchased: 6/95
- Date Consumed: 6/23/95
- Price: $6
- Alcohol: 12%
- BW: Color: brownish maroon. Bouquet: alcoholic, unpleasantly pungent. Flavor: the unpleasant pungent note comes blaring through. It's rather harsh, too sour, kinda icky. A refined version of "beta test". D Postscript: After breathing for an hour, it's much improved and now not bad at all. C
- SD: Clear brown red, slightly oily texture. Nice fragrance: sharp, a little sour, but not too -- just enough to give it some personality. Unfortunately, the body doesn't live up to the nose. Weak and watery, it's not so much a taste as it is a sour aftertaste. I'd recommend it for cooking if I thought it wouldn't be overpowered by something with flavor. D+
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DeLoach Estate Bottled Russian River Valley Merlot, 1992
- Date Purchased: 1/95 (local wine store)
- Date Consumed: 3/3/95
- Price: $14
- BW: Intoxicating bouquet. Flavorful. Rich, yet a little too reserved. Very elegant. A-
- SD: Nose a little sharp, but nice 'n fruity. Flavorful, full of youthful exuberance. A little aging might improve it, but still quite lush and tasty. Nice finish. A-
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Markham Vineyards Napa Valley Merlot, 1992
- Date Purchased: 2/95 (local liquor store)
- Date Consumed: 4/21/95, 4/22/95
- Price: $15
- BW: Lovely deep burgundy color. Enticing bouquet with a hint of anise. The flavor is dry, sophisticated. Not fruity. A little too reserved for my tastes. B
- SD: The color and bouquet evoke images of a dark, mysterious forest. However, upon tasting, I am suddenly transported to a coastal desert -- dry and refreshing. Wood and pears; a little too flat to be truly outstanding. Recap: Smooth and dry, but nothing spectacular in the experience. B+
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Forest Glen Barrel Select California Merlot, 1993
- Date Purchased: 2/95 (local wine store)
- Date Consumed: 6/2/95, 6/3/95
- Price: $10
- BW: This is a friendly, easy-drinking merlot. Light and fruity, a bit lightweight but easy to forgive. B
- SD: Frothy when poured, but clear in body. Smell: young, full of exuberance. First impression: a little weaker than one might hope, but flawless in taste and character. Warm and smooth, still rather simple but for a slight hint of pine. Not at all heavy -- a good summertime merlot. B+
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Vin de Pays de l'Ile de Beaute' (Reserve du President, Product of France), 1993
- Date Consumed: 12/28/95
- Price: $7
- Alcohol: 12%
- BW: A bright, full-flavored Merlot, teeming with grapey goodness and finishing with long notes of vanilla and cherry. Very enjoyable! B+
- SD: Dark with a rich nose of chocolate and sweet grapes. The taste delivers with overtones of semisweet chocolate. It's smooth and tasty, but the body feels a bit empty. Maybe it seems unsatisfying because the finish is so short -- like waiting in line forty minutes at Disney World for a three minute ride. It's very good but needs more staying power. Still, this wine is quite a good bargain. B
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Kautz Ironstone Vineyards, Highlands California Merlot, 1993
- Date Consumed: 2/8/96
- Price: ??
- Alcohol: 12.5%
- SD: Toasty paper dry merlot. Too heavy on the oak, but smooth
enough to counteract the barrel. Excellent raspberry-blackberry finish.
B
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Santa Amelia, Colchagua (Chile) Merlot, 1994
- Date Consumed: 3/24/96
- Price: $6 (marked down from $8)
- Alcohol: 12%
- BW: B-
- SD: Wonderful inky purple-black color. Bouquet: a bit harsh, scent of apples and ash. Body is a little limp with hint of soot. A drinkable red with a velvety merlot texture. Finish is a little off: a cranky aftertaste.
C+
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