Murrieta's Well
Small Lot Livermore Valley Merlot 2015
Glad it showed well. Not bad for 44 bucks! You nailed it with the licorice and plum. That flavor profile defines Livermore fruit. Robbie actually diverted the more tannic merlot barrels to be blended in other wines. I would like to see what he could do with a 50-150 case reserve merlot or merlot heavy blend. Sounds like a fun tasting. Some great merlots in there.
Shafer
Napa Valley Merlot 2014
A top Merlot for me coming out of Napa (alongside Paloma, Jarvis & Hourglass). I correctly guessed merlot out of the flight paid based on the truffled mushroom nose, medium acidity and simple structure. Everything about this wine is harmonious and is a textbook example of Napa Merlot. Red and black fruit medley finish with some heft.
Chateau Potelle
Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon
Think this was my wine of the night. Never heard of it! I even guessed it wrong, thinking it was the merlot of the flight pair. Had a menthol like note that had me and one other thinking it may be Heitz Martha’s. Very smooth and plush. Blueberry pie, vanilla and truffled mushroom. Reminds me of what a 2011 Bevan Cab would taste like.
Round Pond Estate
Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon
One of my contributions for Napa Cab vs Napa Merlot blind taste night!
This wine is a great example of Napa cab, especially from Rutherford. This is dark fruit (fresh squeezed blackberries, Black currant) with a crunchy (cranberry) finish, stain the glass purple, slow moving legs and lovely earthy notes on the tongue. Dusted cocoa leaves, too. Decanted about two hours and was prime. At $60'ish/bottle, this wine gives their reserve ($110) a battle for best QPR.
This wine is a great example of Napa cab, especially from Rutherford. This is dark fruit (fresh squeezed blackberries, Black currant) with a crunchy (cranberry) finish, stain the glass purple, slow moving legs and lovely earthy notes on the tongue. Dusted cocoa leaves, too. Decanted about two hours and was prime. At $60'ish/bottle, this wine gives their reserve ($110) a battle for best QPR.
What year? Definitely a great value
@Jason Oliver : This was the ‘13. Could use more time but the decant opened it beautifully.
Caymus Vineyards
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
Hard to rate this wine. I immediately guessed it was the cab of the flight pair, and it was, and thought maybe it was a Bevan Cellars cab. After time in the glass, it got a bit more flabby, which had me thinking it was an Orin Swift wine, possibly Mercury Head. It was sweet, sugary, fruit forward and accessible. Loads of blue fruit, nutmeg, vanilla and some toasted bread. Medium tannic structure that suggested it could benefit from a few more years in the cellar but was totally ready to party now. Pop and pour like palate. Love it or hate it style.
Love it
Pride Mountain Vineyards
Sonoma/Napa County Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
Bigger style Napa Merlot than the others, with big tannic structure. So much so that I called this Cabernet out of the pairing flight. Cedar, red and black fruit, and acidity to carry this forever. I love Pride wines and shouldn’t be surprised this confused me.
Kenefick Ranch
Chris's Cuvée Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
Nose on this was so “dirty”, and I figured cab franc was mixed in and because of that, it would be the merlot. Wrong. Plush and smooth. Dark fruit and a bit chalky.
Such a great vineyard
Kenefick Ranch
Estate Grown Calistoga Merlot 2014
Thought this was Cab, not necessarily due to color or notes, but mainly because of structure. Nice acidity and red fruit driven. More tannic than the cab!
Grgich Hills Estate
Estate Grown Napa Valley Merlot 2012
Classic Napa Merlot. Mellow and fun to drink. Mushroom and blackberry pie. Acidity is fairly light. Plum and dusty...perfectly Rutherford.
Robert Foley Vineyards
Napa Valley Merlot 2012
Benjamin had this 11 days ago
Showed really well tonight! I guessed this was the merlot out of the pairing flight because it had wonderful acidity and classic red fruit profile. It was a touch hot, but it checked off all the Napa Merlot boxes (raspberry, bay leaf, tobacco, cedar).
Benjamin Keator
Benjamin had this 11 days ago