It's no secret I like Washington State wines, I believe they offer a great price to quality ratio in most instances. The growing conditions are usually very stable, and the growers can produce optimum fruit for wine. The 2015 growing seaon was very favorable, and almost all wines across the board are quite good.
This winery is part of the Chateau Ste Michelle group, which means the winemaking team has the equipment and resources available to make top notch wines at an affordable price.
Merlot got a bad reputation in California a while back because it became the darling wine, and producers pushed out quanity over quality. When people realized this, it fell out of favor there. But in WA State they've quietly continued making very good Merlot, and it's okay if a lot of people don't know this... it keeps the price down for those of us who do know.....
Upon opening notes of cherry, red plums, bright red fruit and a nice spicy note in the nose, the palate has similar flavors to the nose. After 30 minutes I noticed a blackberry note both in the nose and the palate, and more depth of fruit. And a hint of cocoa/milk chocolate in the nose, nice medium mouth feel and decent length of finish, with pleasant lingering fruit notes.
I enjoyed this with chicken pot pie, but this is a food friendly wine and would pair well with a number of different things.... have fun and experiment to find out what works for you.
On sale now at the NH Liquor outlets for $9.99 per bottle, available at Total Wine in Natick for $8.99 per bottle. At that price buy a case for everyday drinking....
Cheers!
Ed
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