St. Clement Vineyards
Abbott's Vineyard Merlot
Carneros, North Coast, California, USA
This old girl has some life left in her yet. Dark purplish cherry in the glass with some slight bricking at the edges. At this stage, the nose is quite subdued upon opening showing some red fruits, smoke, and Coke. This is, of course, a big Merlot and at times is so Cab like it’s almost indistinguishable. That doesn’t make it a bad wine or even a bad Merlot, it’s just the style. Not a ton of depth but there’s nice acidity and a surprisingly lush and smooth mouthfeel. The balance is out of whack with the alcohol playing too prominent of a role but decanting helps. Licorice, dried cherries, and dark chocolate on the palate with just a touch of that high octane alcohol coming in at the end. This is a good wine. Not necessarily a good Merlot but a good wine.
This old girl has some life left in her yet. Dark purplish cherry in the glass with some slight bricking at the edges. At this stage, the nose is quite subdued upon opening showing some red fruits, smoke, and Coke. This is, of course, a big Merlot and at times is so Cab like it’s almost indistinguishable. That doesn’t make it a bad wine or even a bad Merlot, it’s just the style. Not a ton of depth but there’s nice acidity and a surprisingly lush and smooth mouthfeel. The balance is out of whack with the alcohol playing too prominent of a role but decanting helps. Licorice, dried cherries, and dark chocolate on the palate with just a touch of that high octane alcohol coming in at the end. This is a good wine. Not necessarily a good Merlot but a good wine.
Jul 22nd, 2019