Winery - Merriam Vineyards
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
How dark this wine is. It opens with a brambly, dusty aroma, like wild berries on a hot summer day, as well as hints of dried leather and toast. In the mouth, there’s a burst of blackcurrant that quickly disappears into the tannins. Best after 2006.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Here’s an easy Cab that has well-ripened blackberry and currant flavors and is dry and fairly tannic. There’s a rusticity to the mouthfeel. Will play well against a steak.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A strongly flavored, tannic wine, marked by black currant, blackberry and blueberry flavors, sprinkled with exotic Indian spices. Drink this bone-dry Cabernet over the next several years.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Too oaky, with dominating caramel and smoke flavors, and also very sharp. There’s a citrusy bite of acidity that detracts. Finally, the wine ends on an overripe, Porty note.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
An easy, gentle wine, dry and silky, with pronounced cherry, violet, vanilla and sweet cedar flavors that are wrapped into rich, fine tannins. Shows a complexity and elegance that suggest great foods. Drink now.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This bottling from Merriam has been all over the board over the years. It seems to do better in a warmer vintage. The 2003 vintage was not a great one in the North Coast, and this wine, while showing some polished flavors, is a bit lean. The cherry and currant flavors have been enriched by 50% new oak. Drink now.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A bit sharp now, with extracted cherry jam and cedar flavors. Could be going through an awkward phase. Decant for an hour or two before serving.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Too strong by half, lacking restraint and elegance. All you get is an explosion of superripe fruit and oak. Tastes like a berry, roasted nut and mocha candy bar.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A bruiser of a Merlot, dry and muscular, with green olive, blackberry, sage and smoky cedar flavors, wrapped into bigtime tannins. Even at the age of nearly 5 it’s still brooding and hard. Not an ager, but there’s something fine and polished about it now.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Tough, dry and gritty, with astringent tannins framing black cherry and oak flavors. Finishes hot, with a scour of alcohol. Lacks elegance and breed. Drink up.
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