Don't see much Merlot from Santa Cruz Mtns. Totally solid. Super fresh plummy red and blue fruit. Nice acid. Milk chocolate. Dark cherry. Oak in balance. No sulfur easy drinkin'
Don't see much Merlot from Santa Cruz Mtns. Totally solid. Super fresh plummy red and blue fruit. Nice acid. Milk chocolate. Dark cherry. Oak in balance. No sulfur easy drinkin'
May 27th, 2016
Fruity. Very easy to drink. Not sure it said Merlot to me much, but I enjoyed it.
Fruity. Very easy to drink. Not sure it said Merlot to me much, but I enjoyed it.
Feb 2nd, 2016
A no-sulfur merlot from Aran. Medium plus ruby to a red rim. Complex, well-integrated, and quite developed nose of ripe to overripe plum, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, bruised apple skins (suggestions of acetaldehyde/oxidation), stewed/browned tomatoes, and hints of sweet tobacco, robitussin / cough syrup, and a fair bit of toasty, nutmeggy new oak. Medium plus bodied, with elevated alcohol (13.2%, seems a bit higher), diminished acid, and a light dusting of tannins. This is delicious. I'm fan of this, though I understand why some of my friends didn't like it. It tastes weirdly advanced for a 2013. If blinded, I might guess it's a 2005, save for the color. But the flavors are fresh and the varietal character is there.
A no-sulfur merlot from Aran. Medium plus ruby to a red rim. Complex, well-integrated, and quite developed nose of ripe to overripe plum, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, bruised apple skins (suggestions of acetaldehyde/oxidation), stewed/browned tomatoes, and hints of sweet tobacco, robitussin / cough syrup, and a fair bit of toasty, nutmeggy new oak. Medium plus bodied, with elevated alcohol (13.2%, seems a bit higher), diminished acid, and a light dusting of tannins. This is delicious. I'm fan of this, though I understand why some of my friends didn't like it. It tastes weirdly advanced for a 2013. If blinded, I might guess it's a 2005, save for the color. But the flavors are fresh and the varietal character is there.
Sep 18th, 2015
Santa Cruz Mountains, San Francisco Bay, California, USA
