Today it’s nothing fancy. Just a quick and dirty review. This Merlot is one of the best sellers at one of my favorite wine shops. It’s a great price, and so I wanted to see what made this so popular. To be honest, that still seems to be a mystery to me.
I would call this an average, commercial Merlot. The nose is OK, although it lacks intensity. It has some classic plum, strawberry, earthy beet and sage aromas. But I also got a hint of sulfur on the nose, for which it gets a ding. The palate is fairly bland, although there’s nothing offensive about it. The fruit is a little weak—what’s there is plum and cherry. It’s slightly bitter on the finish and slightly heavy on the tannins in general. But the acidity is good. This is a drinkable Merlot, but nothing I would seek out.
Wine: Blackstone
Variety: Merlot
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 82
Price: $7.98
I’m in complete agreement — I had a bottle of this the other night and, while it certainly wasn’t objectionable, it wasn’t terribly memorable either. I’m going to try some of your other Merlot recommendations — I’m not a big Merlot fan but I’m trying to branch out!
I’ve never been a fan of Merlots in general. I find most of them bitter and too dry for my taste. A friend brought a bottle of this to dinner the other night and I was pleasantly surprised. It was light and fruity tasting without the bitter after taste that I get from most Merlots. Quite a palatable surprise for me.