Merlots Around the World

Bet Shalom Wine Club, Saturday April 13

Merlots Around the World

Novelty Hill (Columbia Valley WA) 2021 @ $24.99: 94% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. Winemaker notes: Fresh, inviting aromas of Bing cherry, red currant and a hint of cocoa fill the glass, gaining focus and intensity on the palate. Richly layered, with supple, refined tannins that stretch across a long, elegant finish.  

Freemark Abbey (Napa Valley, CA) 2019 @ $36.99: 80% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot.  Jeb Dunnick: Notes of ripe dark berries and chocolate hazelnuts with crushed rocks and spices on offer. Medium- to full-bodied with creamy tannins and velvety texture. Sleek and mellow in the finish.

Mollydooker Scooter Merlot 2021 (McLaren Vale, Australia) @ $19.99: Winemaker notes: This vibrant and lifted Merlot exudes rich plum flavours with undertones of both red and dark fruit and a soft touch of oak. As the wine develops in the glass, layers of chocolate, nutmeg and cinnamon spice come to the fore. The soft mouth-feel and tannin integration allow for all the beautiful flavours of this wine to shine through.

Marques De Casa Concha Merlot (Chile) 2019 @ $19.99: 95 % Merlot, 5 % Malbec.  Winemaker notes: Deep, dark, bright red. Rich and skillfully balanced. Fresh and complex. Delicate notes of blackcurrant, spices, wild fruits, and red plum. It has a nice and elegant touch of toasted oak which adds an attractive dimension. Elegant tannins accompany a great fruit expression on the palate. Its finish is long, fresh, and captivating.

Chateau Canon Chaigneau Lalande de Pomerol (Bordeaux) 2022 @ $24.99: Wine Cellar Insider: Cherries, flowers, and chocolate are all over the place here on the nose and palate. The wine is fresh, silky, energetic, and supple on the mid-palate, finishing with more of those ripe, soft, sweet, polished, creamy cherries, plums and lift in the creamy finish.

Mount Tabor Merlot (Israel) 2021 @ $15.99: Winemaker notes: In the select vineyards of Tabor Winery in the Galilee, high-quality Merlot grapes were grown and carefully harvested. From these grapes we created this wine while paying close attention to preserving the natural aroma and original flavors of the grape variety. The wine consists of 85% Merlot grapes and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. This maintains the freshness and vitality of the grape to retain the variety's classic aromas of red cherry and currants with hints of black pepper. The wine has a dark red color, well balanced acidity with a medium body and is ready to drink.

Molly Bryant