Merlot

Reason to check out the sales bin at grocery stores and talk with the managers.  This is an Italian (Tuscan) Merlot marked down from $45 to $30.  Is it amazing?  No.  Is it a nice value and a chance to try a new wine?  Yes.  Purple in color.  The nose has plums, slight chocolate and cherries.  On the palate, this is not real ripe.  Plums, black cherries with underlying hay and dry forest floor.  Decent acidity.  Nice finish.  Food friendly.  Easy drinking with a bit of depth.  

A Port styled wine made from a blend but mostly Merlot.  Purple in color.  The nose has cherry liqueur, chocolate and slight raisin.  Full bodied.  Slightly sweet.  Raisins, chocolate and cherries.  Relatively simple and not a lot of depth.  Worked well as a desert wine and would match a more savory dessert.  

This is made from 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot and the rest Merlot and Malbec.  Insignia is one of the First Growth wines of California.  Its great just about every vintage and has been for decades.  This one is no exception.  Inky purple.  The nose has cassis, graphite, blueberries, leather and cigar box.  On the palate, this is still young.  Medium tannins.  Great balance.  Lots of cassis and some blueberries with underlying damp forest floor.  Long finish.  Delicious.  Will work great with heartier foods and certainly with meat dishes.  The price on these is up to around $250

Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has sweet plums, black cherries and sandal wood.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, black cherry pie.  Delicious if ripe.  Some heat.  This is more of a cocktail wine to be drunk on its own.  It will prove to be a difficult food match.  Perhaps is settles down with some cellaring.  Drink in the next five to be safe but who knows, it might last twenty.  

09 was a pretty open vintage especially on the right bank.  At age 9, this is drinking very well.  That said, there is plenty of room for further improvement.  Purple in color.  The nose has black cherries, black raspberries, dark chocolate and char.  On the palate, this is juicy with a full bodied texture.  Black raspberries, layered with chocolate dust and slight oak notes.  Long finish.  This will work with roasted meats dishes quite well.  Another five years in the cellar and this should come together quite well.  If opening now, give it some air.  

One of the great wines of Bordeaux well deserving of its second growth status.  This is from a very hot vintage that many wine makers had some trouble with.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, slight tobacco and slight fresh floral notes.  On the palate, this is drinking quite well.  Showing some development, it is close but not yet at peak.  Layers of cassis and black cherry fruit, with some dry earthy forest floor.  Wispy tannins at this point.  Long finish.  Would work well with roasted meats and other foods.  Some possible upside still left.  

Purple/ruby in color.  The nose is nice with dusty cherries, raspberries and carob.  On the palate, this has a nice acidity.  Soft texture.  Some complexity.  Raspberry fruit with underlying dry earthiness.  Good finish.  Served to a group, this was quite a crowd pleaser among wine lover (not wine geeks).  This should be pretty versatile with most foods.  This retails for $25 which is a very nice value in California Merlot.  

This Super Tuscan blend has Sangiovese, Cabernet, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.  It retails for $15 which is a fair price.  The nose is dusty with cherries.  This is a relatively simple wine but good and easy drinking.  There is a bit of an under ripe vegetal note but not bad.  Good acidity.  This would work nicely with pizza or pasta or at a local Italian place.  

Purple in color.  The nose has cherries, cassis, slight chocolate and spice.  Those flavors continue to the palate.  Light tannins.  This is a tasty, easy drinking wine.  A bit of acidity.  Will work well on its own but also with medium or heavier foods.  Good finish.  

Not to be confused with the wine of the same name from the Valley floor in Oak Knoll, this is from Atlas Peak and is mountain fruit.  This is a step up in quality and price.  Inky purple in color.  Very concentrated.  The nose has cassis, dark chocolate graphite and char.  On the palate, this is tannic.  Concentrated cassis flavors.  Fine tannins.  It opens in the glass but could use some time/decanting.  Nice balance.  Good finish.  A polished wine that should improve for the next five years.  Will work on the dinner table or on its own.  $85 retail.