Tag Archives: Merlot

Gumdale Merlot

Gumdale Merlot

gumdale-melot-013

Gumdale Merlot is a very interesting Merlot.  The single best word to describe this wine is fresh.  I once sampled a wine as it was being bottled and this wine reminded me of that experience.

What I love about Australia wines is that they seemed to be made exclusively for a good time.

This wine has a hint of liquorice to it.  It seems to add to the overall experience.

Overall I would give this one a 4/5.

Northwest Collection Merlot

Northwest Collection Merlot

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Northwest Collection Merlot is a very dark red wine.  It doesn’t seem to have any tannins.  It isn’t dry and doesn’t have any bitterness.  It isn’t a great wine for drinking.  I would suggest one glass max on this wine.  It tends to end with a bit of a headache otherwise.

I would not serve this one to dinner guests.

Overall I give this a 3/5.

Buffalo Merlot

Buffalo Merlot

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Buffalo is a California wine.  It is dangerously drinkable.  It has a hint of dryness to it.  There isn’t anything distinctive.  There aren’t any outstanding flavors.  It is just easy to drink.

Personally I can only drink 2 glasses of this wine before entering the danger zone.

Overall I give this one a 4/5 because of how drinkable it is, but not a 5 because it doesn’t make my mouth sing.

The Little Penguin Merlot

The Little Penguin Merlot

The Little Penguin 074

The Little Penguin Merlot might be one of my new favorite wines.  It is just simply delightful to drink.

I do not know what it is about Australian wines, but they now how to make a wine right down under.  This particular wine is a South Eastern Australian wine.

The cover is adorable.  I wouldn’t normally buy a wine based on the cover, but this one needed to be tried.

Here is the craziest part, this wine is cheap.  I mean scrounge for change in your car kind of cheap.  I paid $6 for this bottle of wine.

If you are looking for an inexpensive bottle of very delicious, drinkable wine The Little Penguin Merlot is for you.

I give this wine a 5/5 for the price to taste ratio alone.

Mallee Point Merlot

Mallee Point Merlot

Mallee Point  009

Mallee Point Merlot is an Australia wine which gives me hope right off the bat.  Australians like to drink and seem to have a good sense for drink ability over whatever passes for proper wine in other areas.

You can smell the berries in this wine as you pour it.  It is very inviting.

The initial tastes include oak and cherry.  This wine clearly has a lot of tannins which I normal try to avoid like the plague.  For some reason it doesn’t seem to matter in this wine.  They probably process it differently in Australia to allow the tannins without the ill effects.

Even with the tannins this wine is surprisingly smooth.  As I drank this wine I thought it maybe a headache waiting to happen, but it will be a delicious ride.  To my surprise I did not suffer a headache the next day as I would have if this were an American wine with that many tannins.

If you really enjoy the taste of tannins, but do not like the after affect I would highly recommend this particular wine.  They just seem to do it right in Australia.

I give this one a 4/5 overall.  It verges on a 5.

Alexander Valley Vineyard Merlot

Alexander Valley Vineyard Merlot

Alexander Valley Merlot 002

This wine was estate grown and bottled which generally means they tried harder to get it right.  In this case they nailed it.  This particular vintage is the 2013.

The wine has the perfect smell when you open the bottle.  It isn’t inviting and at the same time it is exactly what you would hope for when smelling a wine.

The taste is smooth and not sweet or bitter.  It is just an excellent wine.

I cannot find any downside to this wine.  I would definitely serve it at a dinner party.  It is very drinkable and not offensive in any way

I give this wine a 5/5.

Beringer Merlot

Beringer Merlot – winery site

Beringer Melot 13

Beringer’s Merlot is a perfectly fine Merlot.  Like all Beringer products it a simple go to wine.  There is nothing unusual about it.  No strange or exciting flavors, but no horrid flavors either.

If you do not know what to get this one is worthy of serving to your guests.

I give this one a 4/5.

A3 Red Blend

A3 Merlot

A3 Merlot 1

Anytime, Anywhere, Anyone that is the A3 red blend.  This is a California blend designed for Anyone to drink Anytime and Anywhere.

Needless to say I liked this particular wine.  It isn”t offensive in anyway.  It is just a very drinkable wine.  It doesn’t have the dryness of merlots or the oddness of pinot noir.  It isn’t super sweet.  It just is good.

Should you serve this to guests, yes.  Any guest should enjoy this wine.  It will not overly impress that guest, but anyone else will enjoy it.

I will give this one a 4/5.  A high 4 out of 5.

Momentos Merlot

Momentos, Merlot

The initial taste of this merlot is ok and smooth.  There is a slight dryness to it.  This dryness becomes more and more dry with every sip.  The dryness is on the front of the tongue apposed to the back of the throat.  It is odd.

Momentos Merlot 3

The taste is Okay.  It is not my favorite Merlot.

I give this one a 3/5.

It is drinkable, but not great at all.  It isn’t bad either.  It just isn’t very good.

Markham Merlot

Markham Merlot

I thought I had grabbed my last Pinot when I started drinking this Merlot.  It tasted a lot more like a Merlot than a Pinot.  It took me three days to realize it actually was a Merlot.

This Merlot has a slight dry taste, but doesn’t make you thirsty at all.  It pairs perfectly with red meat.  You want to eat it with a meal.

Markham Merlot 13

I really enjoyed this wine.  I only drank one glass at a time so I do not know the consequences of multiple glasses.  Based on the taste and feeling of one glass I would assume more would not be any issue.

This is a nice relaxing wine.  It has a perfect Merlot taste.  It is a well done.  Despite the slight dryness there are really no negatives about this wine.

I would definitively serve this at dinner.  In fact I think it is a great idea if steak is on the menu.

I would give this wine a 4/5.