{"id":72,"date":"2010-10-13T14:32:55","date_gmt":"2010-10-13T14:32:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kenswineguide.com\/blog\/?p=72"},"modified":"2010-10-16T14:42:41","modified_gmt":"2010-10-16T14:42:41","slug":"merlot-results-2010","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/?p=72","title":{"rendered":"Merlot Results 2010"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Merlot-Grapes.gif\"This year our Merlot <\/strong>samples were smaller in number when compared to some varieties submitted throughout the year.\u00c2\u00a0 For example, we started Riesling in July and are still working on them.\u00c2\u00a0 Perhaps this is a trend, perhaps not.\u00c2\u00a0 Merlot is still a very popular and approachable red wine. I personally like it a lot when made right.\u00c2\u00a0 I would hate to\u00c2\u00a0see producers shying away from putting their best efforts into this grape that was once on top of the wine world in terms of popularity.<\/p>\n

\"Robert-Foley-2007-Merlot.gif\"My favorite Merlot by far this year was from Robert Foley.\u00c2\u00a0 Bob is clearly one of the top producers of this grape.\u00c2\u00a0 His 2007 Robert Foley Merlot<\/a><\/strong> is Excellent<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 I scored it 96 points<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 I even proclaimed that it might be the best Robert Foley Merlot that I have ever covered.\u00c2\u00a0 It certainly was the best Merlot I have recommended in quite some time. It is full-bodied and extremely well balanced with delicious ripe blueberry flavors with notes of spice, black pepper, and menthol.\u00c2\u00a0 Our entire table really loved this wine and it paired perfectly with\u00c2\u00a0our Kobe Cap steaks.\u00c2\u00a0 Priced at $52<\/strong> per bottle, this is worth every penny!<\/p>\n

\"Northstar-2006-Columbia-Valley-Merlot\"\"Northstar-2006-Columbia-Valley-Merlot\"The winner of our Big Blind Merlot tasting was the 2006 Northstar Merlot<\/a><\/strong> from the Columbia Valley<\/strong> in Washington.\u00c2\u00a0 The panel scored this wine 91 points<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 It is well worth its $40 <\/strong>price tag if you love well made Merlot.\u00c2\u00a0 It opens with a complex mild spicy black raspberry bouquet with hints of smoke, blueberry and vanilla.\u00c2\u00a0 On the palate, this wine is medium-bodied, nicely balanced, soft and smooth with yummy blueberry flavors with nicely integrated oak and spice.\u00c2\u00a0 The panel suggested pairing this gem with veal marsala or lobster ravioli.<\/p>\n

\"Merryvale-2006-Napa-Merlot\"Right on the heals of the Northstar was the 2006 Merryvale “Napa Valley” Merlot<\/a><\/strong> for $39<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 The panel also scored this wine 91 points<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 This offering was medium to full-bodied, nicely balanced, and smooth.\u00c2\u00a0 The panel classified the flavor profile as tasty\u00c2\u00a0with appealing black raspberry flavors\u00c2\u00a0and a touch of black pepper.\u00c2\u00a0 They felt this elegant Merlot would be a good pairing with Steak Diane.\u00c2\u00a0 I also just covered the 2007 Merryvale Merlot<\/a><\/strong> from “Napa Valley.”<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 I scored this wine 90 points<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 It is a nice follow-up to the 2006.\u00c2\u00a0 It opens with an attractive black-cherry bouquet with a hint of menthol and blueberry.\u00c2\u00a0 On the palate, it is medium-bodied, well balanced, and displays black-cherry and gentle oak flavors. We concluded it would pair well with a New York strip steak.<\/p>\n

\"Ferrari-Carano-2007-Sonoma-County-Merlot\"The next two Merlots both scored 90 points<\/strong> from the tasting panel.\u00c2\u00a0 The 2007 Ferrari Carano “Sonoma County” Merlot <\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>for $24<\/strong> officially finished in 3rd place <\/strong>in our Big Blind tasting. It is full-bodied, well balanced, and satiny.\u00c2\u00a0 The group relay enjoyed its mild black currant flavors with nicely integrated old oak with a dash of cinnamon.\u00c2\u00a0 The panel thought this Merlot\u00c2\u00a0would be\u00c2\u00a0ideal in the short term with meatloaf or beef bourguignonne.<\/p>\n

The next Merlot came from Lazio, Italy\u00c2\u00a0 The 2006 Falesco “Montiano”<\/a><\/strong> for $45 <\/strong>performed very well in our big blind tasting.\u00c2\u00a0 It was medium-bodied, very nicely balanced, and has Merlot’s classic smooth mouthfeel.\u00c2\u00a0 The panel described its flavors as tasty mild blackberry with lots of spice and some nicely integrated oak.\u00c2\u00a0 They suggested pairing it with veal parmigianna.<\/p>\n

\"Columbia-Crest-2007-H3-Merlot\"The final two highlighted Merlots are both Very Good<\/strong> and scored 89 points<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 The key to both of these wines is that they come in at a very affordable $15 per bottle<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 The first, which was the best value we found in our big blind tasting, is the 2007 Columbia Crest “H3” Merlot<\/a><\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 It is medium-bodied, balanced, and quite savory.\u00c2\u00a0 The flavor profile is a tasty black-cherry and plum blend with notes of pleasant vanilla oak.\u00c2\u00a0 The panel found its moderate tannins to be well managed and food-friendly.\u00c2\u00a0 They suggested pairing it with either veal marsala or cherry amaretto chicken with mashed potatoes.\"Aquinas-2007-Merlot\"<\/p>\n

Next up is the 2007 Aquinas Merlot<\/a><\/strong> from “Napa.<\/strong>“\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Our small tasting group thought this was a lot of wine for the money.\u00c2\u00a0 It was a real crowd pleaser.\u00c2\u00a0 We found it to be well balanced, easy to drink, and fruit forward.\u00c2\u00a0 The flavor profile was a black currant and gentle oak blend.\u00c2\u00a0 We also detected a touch of black pepper and a hint of anise.\u00c2\u00a0 The group thought this would be a very good glass pour option and would pair well Kobe sliders.<\/p>\n

Other Recommended Merlots:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1) Clos Pegase 2006 “Napa Valley”<\/a><\/strong> (CA) $25 (89)
\n<\/strong>2) Merryvale 2007 “Starmont”<\/a><\/strong>(Napa Valley, CA) $26 (89)<\/strong>
\n3) Chateau Ste. Michelle 2006\u00c2\u00a0“Cold Creek Vineyard”<\/a><\/strong> (Columbia Valley, WA) $28 (89)<\/strong>
\n4) Duckhorn 2008 “Decoy”<\/a><\/strong>(Napa Valley, CA) $25 (88)<\/strong>
\n5) Duckhorn 2007\u00c2\u00a0“Napa Valley”<\/a><\/strong> (CA) $49\u00c2\u00a0(88)
\n<\/strong>6) St. Supery 2005 “Estate Bottled”<\/a><\/strong>(Napa Valley, CA) $25 (87)
\n<\/strong>7) Smoking Loon 2008<\/a><\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0(CA) $8 (85)<\/strong><\/p>\n

These were the Winners<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 There were some that certainly didn’t make the cut.\u00c2\u00a0 I would really encourage you to check out these Merlots if you love the grape like we do.<\/p>\n

Cheers,
\nKen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This year our Merlot samples were smaller in number when compared to some varieties submitted throughout the year.\u00c2\u00a0 For example, we started Riesling in July and are still working on them.\u00c2\u00a0 Perhaps this is a trend, perhaps not.\u00c2\u00a0 Merlot is still a very popular and approachable red wine. I personally like it a lot when […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,10,126,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kens-wine-guide-tasting-panel","category-merlot","category-wine-ratings","category-wine-recommendations"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=72"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=72"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=72"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=72"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}