It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.
Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.
Strong spicy nose of raspberries, sweet cherries, light oak, spices, licorice, earth, eucalyptus, herbs and peppercorn.
Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with plums, cherries, raspberries, spices, light oak, herbs, licorice, dark chocolates, peppercorn and earth.
Spicy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries.
This is a very tasty Merlot based Bordeaux blend from Washington State. An Interesting wine that feels more like a Right Bank Bordeaux. Tangy and spicy.
Right out of the bottle it definitely feels like a new world wine, but once it opens up it changes.
This 3 year old is so very young, and would be better in 3 to 5 years. Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.
I really enjoyed the nose, once it opened up. The palate needs some more bottle time, but it has good potential.
Needs time to open up properly, so be patient. I used the Zencore to expedite the process. Took about 8 minutes.
I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.
A blend of 60% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels (55% new).
14.3% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$50. — 4 years ago
Wasn’t expecting to like English sparkling nearly as much as I’m enjoying this bottle. A truly bizarre combination of ripe fruit and racy acidity (higher than the average for champagne) that can only come from somewhere this far north > 50 degrees latitude (long growing season + long days during growing season). Lemon curd, green apple danish, even notes of pear and passion fruit. Bond may have to trade out his Bollinger for this. — 5 years ago
Pale golden color, complex aging, 34% new French oak-15 months, 30% stainless-4 months; 18% in Foudre for 9 months; rest concrete egg for 14 months. Aromas of stone fruits, oak, nuts, floral and spice. On the palate flavors of peach and pear with honeysuckle, integrated toasty oak and nice citrus tang. Long finish, ending with a wet stone mineral character. Outstanding! Will age well! — 6 years ago
Contrary to what the Delectable label says, this vintage is a Cab Sauv dominant blend (Merlot is 34%). Right now the cola and cherry notes are most prominent and the tobacco/cigar box notes follow on subtly. This is an elegant but easy to sip wine. It’s namesake does it justice too... it could easily age another decade or so. — 7 years ago
Last bottles from a 6-pack. I had two bottles that were sadly riddled with EA, but the other four were sound.
This was one of the wines I served for my annual WWC hosting. All wines served blind.
65 semillon/ 34 Sauvignon Blanc/ 1 Muscadelle
Always love these, more so than most domestic Bordeaux Blanc style white wines, mostly because of the texture. Straw color in the glass. Quite the tropical aromatics (white peach, mango) but it’s not overpowering. The barrel ferment is apparent with the rounded profile on the palate…the vein of acidity that was there a few years ago is fading, so this showed even more opulent than normal. Honeyed lemon, guava, orange blossom but a backbone of sea salt and herbs snap the structure in place to show nice balance and a nod to Bordeaux. I’d recommend popping now and over the next couple years to enjoy the freshness. — a month ago
Blend of 51% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay and 15% Meunier, Golden straw color with aromas of stone and citrus fruits with notes of spice and nutty toast. On the palate flavors of ripe apple and pear with citrus tones and floral notes. Great balance, good bubble bead flow and mousse, lively acidity, long finish ending with crisp toasty mineral tones. A Fav! — 3 years ago
Blend of 54% Cab Sauv, 34% Merlot & 12% Cab Franc. Deep Ruby with aromas of pronounced dark fruits, sweet spice, floral and herb notes. On the palate flavors of blackberry, blueberry and plum with notes of cacao, cedar and subtle herb spice. Well balanced with acidity, fine tannins, long finish ending with fruit, cedar and earthy mineral character. Nice! — 5 years ago
Slight scent of sour apple on the nose. Very light on the pallet with hints of apple and citrus. Not a huge fan of white wine but would drink again. Great pairing with chicken. — 6 years ago
Выпито 01.04.19 в Dana complex . Безумный, нежный и очень минеральный совиное блан из долины Марльборо. — 7 years ago
Leather followed by juicy cherry finishes with tobacco. Complex, long finish. Really good at this time. Didn’t need to open much — 8 months ago


Delish. great with food, a little too tart apple for drinking by itself — 5 years ago
$34 lovely bottle of wine. My favorite Zinfandel. Sweet jammy cherry. — 6 years ago
Walla Walla Valley gem. 37% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 9% Malbec, and 5% Petit Verdot. Dark ripe fruits and baking spices. — 6 years ago
A new experience for us tonight. A 34 year old C-D-P to celebrate our 36 year anniversary. Beautiful old red/orange color from the glass. Dried fruit and herbs, licorice and wet flint on the nose. Flavors of dried red plums and cherries, licorice , herbs and some earthiness. Still showing a slight tannic backbone. A nice long finish. — 7 years ago
Tom Edgar
I got this as a substitute for Kim Crawford as a gift for my wife for Mother’s Day. I actually prefer this to Kim Crawford. The acidity makes it a tiny bit drier but it has very nice grape notes on the palate — a month ago