What is your favorite Merlot?!
Maybe I am just looking for a new 10 to 15 dollar Merlot to try.
THanks.
Answers: I seem to be liking the Columbia Valley lately. Chatteau St. Michelle 2003 is my favorite so far and its only $12 a bottle! Also, what is your favorite Ittialian red? The Barbera grapes are very strong but they are done right, not too overpowering.
Maybe I am just looking for a new 10 to 15 dollar Merlot to try.
THanks.
As it happens, I participated in a blind tasting of Merlots on Sunday night, with about 20 other wine aficionados including a winery owner and a winemaker. The group preference as the best Merlot of the evening was the 2005 Solis Estate Merlot from Solis Winery in Gilroy, CA. It is not yet available -- not yet released for sale -- the winemaker brought that bottle. It will probably retail for $30-$35/bottle. The same winery has two Merlots currently available, a 2003 "Santa Clara Valley" Merlot for about $18 and a 2004 Estate (better even than the 2005) for agout $40. In the event that you live in an area where the winery can ship to, their website is http://www.soliswinery.com.
I'm partial to the merlot made at Lambert's Vintage Wines in Weston, West Virginia. They also make an awesome blended merlot, with blackberries. Super yum.
Merlot is just one of those wines, it seems, that just can't be messed up too badly. Whether it's a straight merlot, or one that's blended with other fruits, it's just a good wine all around.