Tag: Merlot

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Merlot by Acheson Wine Company, Sacramento CA

Tonight’s Occasion: Merlot by Acheson Wine Company, Sacramento CA

Do you have those moments when you can’t help but wonder, how did we get here? How did wine become such a complicated affair? Why do we always invariably gravitate towards overbearing, obsessive, hyperbole? This wine makes me want to set it all down and just be content with what is. If there is such a thing as “Plenty Good Enough”, this would be it.

Slightly ripe dark plums and dark cherries. Touch of crisp refined caramel. Faint hints of sweet minty eucalyptus. Rocky, dust dirt.

Rich clear blood red color. Soft gentle body. Balanced. Rich, restrained ripe dark plum. Fully integrated suspended tannins add weight, viscosity and body. Through each sip, they slowly coat the palate and lips with a thin, firm, lingering, dry grippy layer. Warm spice emerges and lingers long after the finish. Hints of bitter leather linger in the distant background, complementing the fruit and caramel quite nicely. As it opens up that minty eucalyptus and slightly bitter turns into a subtle root beer.

Why obsess over what this bottle/vintage would look like someday. Just let go, pop the cap and enjoy an honest to goodness, well made Merlot. When you’re done, head back down to tasting room for a refill. The time to live is now…

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2015 Merlot by Newsom Vineyards, Texas High Plains

Tonight’s Occasion: 2015 Merlot by Newsom Vineyards, Texas High Plains

Deep intense ruby color. Very shy nose with dry tart plum skins, a hint of honeycomb and licorice. A herbal eucalyptus note lingers in the background so faint you’d likely miss it.

Body is firm, crisp and bone dry. Tart plum skins carry over greeting the palate with a dry tension that holds firm. This tension rolls into a citrus/lime punctuated by a crisp, refined caramel. This marks the transition to finish characterized by a dry, slightly bitter blackberry and hint of red cherry. Firm, crisp tannins provide rock solid structure throughout. The palate is rendered dry of not parched.

This wine is a fine example of what can be accomplished with Merlot. It is a clean, classic, mature execution. While impeccable right now, it is nowhere near its peak. I recommend another 5 years at least. This is a Vineyard with a story. This is a a grower first before a winemaker. For generations this family has produced coveted grapes. While exploring Texas Hill Country, every winery I visited made wines with fruit from Newsom Vineyards. Their highly understated tasting room serves as a library and reference for what is truly possible. An enlightening educational experience.

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2017 Merlot (Grand Selection) by Lapostolle, Chile

Tonight’s occasion: 2017 Merlot (Grand Selection) by Lapostolle, Valle del Rapel, Chile.

Healthy nose full of plums and dark cherries. This wine is a pleaser. With subtle hints of leather and damp cedarwood in the back, it is very approachable. Not overly complex or abstract, it strikes a good balance essential to broad appeal.

Body follows suit with plenty of good fruit in the form of tart plums and blackberry. Faint oak and a touch of leather play in the background. Bold and slightly dry tannins provide firm structure. Tannins develop a dry, fine grained texture in the finish leaving the palate thoroughly parched and tingling with a touch of spice. This wine is young but shows really well for its age.

This wine is by all accounts a Pleaser. A great every day sipper. I can see even the most advanced palate indulging in what it offers just as much as the beginner enthusiast. At a price point of under $15 it presents great value and punches above it’s weight. I’m not the least surprised. This comes from a winemaker whose every wine so far has left me scratching my head. I like what these folks are doing down there in Chile.

Bien hecho amigos!

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2008 Merlot by ParaVi Vineyards

Tonight’s occasion: 2008 Merlot by ParaVi Vineyards, Camino, Sierra Foothills, California.

Very warm tight nose. The heat is immediately obvious. It needs to be decanted for an extended period. Swirling vigorously unlocks bursts of sweet cherry, vanilla, subtle mineral terroir and faint licorice. You would almost miss that signature Merlot berry which is very restrained and buried beneath all the layers.

Body is moderately acidic. It is surprisingly dry, especially given its nose. Only subtle Merlot berry carries through from the nose accompanied by an equal dose of oak vanilla. Both work well to tame the otherwise massive tannin and spice which quickly dominate the body, unveil solid structure and balance. Black currant makes very brief appearance just before a finish characterized by a dry, firm tannic grip. Heat and spice is unmistakable and very much present throughout the entire experience.

Nothing about this wine says it is 12 years old. This is why I stay mostly off the beaten path. I don’t think there are any bottles of this wine left as the Winery closed many years ago. This well built wine from the humble Merlot grape has always been a shining example of the hidden talent you can find in this region if you look hard enough.

Every one of my last few bottles will be a bittersweet affair 🍷😔🙏🏽

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Reserve: 2014 Merlot by Kunde

Tonight’s occasion is a 2014 Merlot from Sonoma Valley by Kunde Family Winery. They put out a veritable lineup of quality wines. This one stood out to me in particular for one main reason: it has very big long lasting tannin, good structure and none of the overbearing fruit typical of most California Merlot. It’s overall posture lends itself to a very long and graceful aging perhaps just as much as their Century Vine old vine Zin, my other favorite in their lineup. It is a very understated wine in my opinion. I am building a vertical of this wine. I think it’ll be a real gem in another 5-10 years. If you are in the Sonoma area I highly recommend stopping by. What’s your favorite winery in Sonoma?

Thanks to wine.com and their extensive library, you can now access most of the wines I review on here. You can use the link below to have Kunde wines delivered to your doorstep.

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2008 Merlot by ParaVi (Primus)

Tonight’s occasion we are checking in on this 2008 Merlot by ParaVi (formerly Primus) from the Sierra Foothills. This was one of my all-time favorite winemakers until they closed several years ago. Their top end flagship was a Merlot, very unusual and a testament to the winemakers skill and craft. This Merlot has lots of character, mild, subdued fruit, good oak, nice pepper and a finish with boat loads of tannin. My cellar is full of hidden gems like this that I’ve collected over the years, never to be seen again. Every sip bittersweet. Thanks to Coravin I’m able to save these gems and open them when they are peaking.