Archive for category Merlot
Veramonte – 2006 Primus Red Wine
Posted by Jeff in 91-95, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Red, Shiraz / Syrah, Wine on 25 October 2009
I’ll be honest: I’m not generally a fan of blended reds. In theory, you can get the best of all the various grape varietals in a single wine, resulting in something you’d pick any day over the individual wines. In practice, it seems you often get something that either retains hardly any varietal character, or a wine where the vintner seemed to be trying to cut his wine with cheap grapes. No thanks, I’ll pass.
Primus, however, is not your typical blended wine. For starters, it hails from Veramonte, a vineyard I rather enjoy. Second, its blend is unlike anything you’ll find in any other aisle of your grocer – 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Syrah, 17% Merlot, and 16% Carmenere. Veramonte’s stated purpose is to highlight the spectrum of Chilean varietals in a single wine. Ranging somewhere between $16-20, this is not a cheap wine, but neither is it stratospherically priced. But how is it to drink?
While some blended wines are mellow and forgettable, Primus’s billing as a bold blend is not at all sold short. In fact, I don’t think it would be a stretch to call it one of the most powerful wines I’ve ever encountered. Rich and spicy with wonderful fruit tones coming from all the different varietals, Primus is put together exactly right. No single varietal composes more than 50% of this wine, and it produces a unique and wonderful sensation: as you drink, each of the four varietals comes up in turns, the wine morphing in your mouth between Cabernet and Syrah, Merlot and Carmenere depending on the moment. Somehow it truly does become greater than all of its parts, delightful and unique in every way.
The verdict? While this wine is not on the cheap end of the spectrum when it comes to Chilean reds, I don’t doubt I’ll buy it again. Unlike anything else you can purchase, Primus is an excellent example of what a great blended wine can be.
Score: 92
Bay Bridge Vineyards – Merlot
The continuing saga of Bay Bridge. As you may recall, the Cabernet was so terrible we took 2 sips and poured it out. The Chardonnay was actually not awful, but something I relegated to cooking, and the Merlot was… well, sitting in my closet.
At $3 a bottle, Bay Bridge is a value label sold by at least one local grocer, and hopefully nowhere else on the planet. From the open, this is not a promising wine. It may be sitting right now next to a $30 Cabernet, but honestly this wine wouldn’t smell good if it were sitting next to a cup of chewing tobacco. The smell can best be described as a combination of bubble gum and twinkies. It’s fair then, to say, that neither of us actually want to drink it. Thankfully the flavor doesn’t match. That’s not to say it’s good, as much as to say it tastes like a cheap bottle of wine. As we’ve often criticized inexpensive bottles before, this doesn’t taste like something made by fermenting grapes, as much as grape juice mixed with vodka and sugar and placed in a bottle. It isn’t a completely harrowing bottle of wine – for instance, if served it at someone’s house, I wouldn’t make a speedy escape to the toilet to pour half of it down, but it’s not exactly something I’d receive a crate of, even if it were given to me either.
If you’re looking for something that claims to be a Merlot and you simply don’t have more than $3 to spend, buy this wine. Unfortunately for the Bay Bridge, Merlot is not an expensive varietal, and there are literally dozens of Merlots from Australia and California for only about a dollar more. You may be tempted, but this one is a definite pass.
Score: 73
Joe Blow Vineyards – 2005 California Red Wine
Posted by Jeff in 76-85, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Red, Shiraz / Syrah, Wine, Zinfandel on 9 November 2008
An explosion of grapes, I was intrigued by the 8 dollar bottle of Joe Blow in its bright packaging placed among the California Zinfandels. Without paying too much attention to the label, I threw it in the cart. Initial searching on the internet was positive – one female reviewer praised Joe Blow as a fantastic wine while disparaging another (Gnarly Head) that I’ve been wanting to try. I made a mental note to push Gnarly Head off my to-try list, but after drinking Joe Blow, it’s firmly back on.
There are two ways I can describe this wine that I think would be accurate: 1) it is a wine that (most) girls would like due to its overly fruity character and 2) it’s a wine most white wine drinkers would like due to its overly fruity character. I’ve never had a more fruity wine, white or red. Merlot, Petite Sirah, Syran, Zinfandel and Cabernet grapes blend to have a drink that’s almost more grape juice than wine, though admittedly it does grow on you. The initial shock is mostly from tasting something completely unlike any other you’ve ever experienced, but near the end of your first glass, you’re ready to pour another. I would disagree with the bottle, which claims that this is a “serious” wine, in spite of the name. This wine is bright and happy, trying to make you smile rather than reflect, enjoy rather than examine.
Edit: Let this one breathe for a couple of days (with vac-u-vin, of course) and it gets *much* better. Not only drinkable, but actually rather good. Seeing as how this isn’t really my preferred method of wine drinking, I’m not changing the score, but just noting for those who purchase.
Score: 83
Frontera – Cabernet / Merlot Blend – 2007
Concha Y Toro’s value label, Frontera, can be had for less than 5 dollars a bottle, but are weird blends worth it, even at that price?
Being the first time I’d tried a Cabernet / Merlot mix, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The Frontera is smooth and clean, fruiter than a Cab, drier than a Merlot, but not at all like anything I’ve ever tasted before. There is nothing particularly remarkable about this wine, but neither does it have a real weakness. In many ways, it’s like Two-Buck or any other well-made inexpensive wine – good for drinking, but not necessarily the wine you’d choose to buy presented with lots of options.
Score: 85