Merlot Gets Her Groove Back
Frank Gutierrez | February 5th, 2010 - 4:22 pmFirst, I need to come clean and say that this is my first experience tasting a wine from Washington State. Yes, I know, I hate to admit that it took me this long, but as the 2010 Wine Bloggers Conference in Washington grows near, I feel compelled to learn more about this popular wine country. The film “Sideways” may have created a stigma behind Merlot, but I always knew that someday this wine would bounce back. As a loyal fan of the Merlot, it brings me great pleasure to announce a new favorite to my list.
2006 Northstar Merlot – Columbia Valley ($41)
The second I popped the cork, deep rich aromas of plum and vanilla escaped the bottle. On the palate I tasted complex flavors of dark fruit, toasty oak, and coconut. I also got some peppery action followed by a silky smooth finish. I paired this wine with a fluffy chocolate cake left over from my wife’s birthday party and was absolutely delicious!
What makes this wine so special? Northstar Winery only selects the best fruit from 14 separate vineyards throughout the Columbia Valley. If there are any readers out there who still don’t think Merlot is an amazing grape, I strongly encourage them to try this wine… especially with chocolate cake!
As I did receive this wine as a sample, there’s no mistake why it’s become such a popular wine. It’s bold complex flavors have made it the brand of choice among many Merlot wine lovers. See what this wine enthusiast has to say about the 2001 vintage. If your a fan of this wine, please leave a comment below. Cheers!
5 Responses to “Merlot Gets Her Groove Back”
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Nice post Frank!. Going to have to keep my eyes open for a bottle. I agree with you that Merlot can ROCK when made with love and care.
Cheers!
Hi Frank,
Many thanks for spreading the word to others about what us wine lovers in Walla Walla already knew. We sat through the movie Sideways yelling at Miles that it was obvious he hadn't tasted any Walla Walla Merlot. Happy to see you enjoyed the wine. Looking forward to seeing you at the WBC10.
Cheers,
C~
Frank – I'll forgive your first sentence in the post because the rest is pure brilliance! LOL. Can't wait to meet you at #WBC10. Walla Walla and the rest of the state really states a case for Merlot! The Northstar is a special product too!
Josh @nectarwine
I actually just opened a bottle of the 2005 Merlot last night. I had tried this wine last summer while in Walla Walla. Absolutely brilliant wine. I tried the 2006 while I was there too, and remember it being quite good, so your review doesn't surprise me in the least.
I look forward to meeting you at #WBC10, and enjoying some more great wine from the region.
Thanks to everyone for leaving a comment. This Merlot does ROCK and I look forward to meeting all of you at #WBC10. Looking forward to tasting more Merlot and comparing them to the Northstar.