Back in January I discovered two bottles of this Napa Merlot blend. I opened the first and was horrified by the state of the cork. I wrote about the wine and promised a re-taste. Yesterday was our first real day of Spring weather, so I got the patio sorted out, cleaned the Weber and decided to open the Merryvale to go along with marinated Flank steak. It was a glorious evening and a great precursor to the Game of Thrones season opener, bliss.
I was right, this is a damn good wine. Forget what you saw in the movies, Merlot is a great wine and so is Chardonnay. Merlot is highly adaptable, smooth, makes a good blend and has the stuffing to cellar for years. It offers a softer side to Cabernet Sauvignon but has the grace to make it’s own name (Think Chateau Petrus plus the majority of St. Emilions and Right Bank of Bordeaux.) It is blended in the this bottling with a touch of two other noble grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.
I immediately got plums and currants on the nose which is way better than the last bottle. A full bodied attack of black berries and plums was simply delicious. This wine is rich and gorgeous with great tannins rounding out the damson and earth finish. Good acidity give this wine the balance I was hoping for along with the great mouthfeel. I’m bumping it up to 91 points and for $46 it is a 4 star effort. Salut….
Weber, ha?! What happened to the Green Egg? : )
I personally like Merlot, and it is interesting to see that it is making a general comeback – there is a lot better selection in the stores than even a year ago…
I laughed out loud when I saw this…. I have a Weber gas grill and a charcoal kettle in addition to the Green Egg. Why limit yourself? It’s like wine, you must have whites, reds and sparklers in your cellar, for every situation and mood. Cheers amigo
listen, I just had to pull your leg : ) completely agree with you – there are different tools for different things, and moods 🙂