Reviews & Ratings

2012 Merryvale Merlot "Starmont"

Winery: Merryvale

Vintage: 2012

Wine Name/Vineyard: "Starmont"

Wine Category: Merlot

Grape blend: 99% Merlot & 1% Petit Verdot

Bottle size: 750 ml

Region: Carneros

State or country: CA

Price: $27

Cases produced: unknown

KWG Score: 89.3 (based on 3 reviews)

Ken's Wine Rating: Very Good+ (90)

Review date: August 28, 2014

Wine Review: This dark ruby colored Merlot from Merryvale was one of our top performers in our 1st big blind tasting. It opens with a charred oak bouquet with a hint of blackberry. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced and smooth. The flavor profile is a tasty black cherry with notes of toasted oak. We also detected a touch of blueberry, plum and cola. The finish is dry and its fine tannins show decent length. The panel suggested pairing this very nice Merlot with Moroccan lamb stew or filet mignon. Enjoy - KWGTP

Winemaker Notes: We love Merlot from the southern part of Napa Valley, especially the Carneros AVA. The region's cool climate and marine-based soils bring out the best in this Bordeaux variety. Our 2012 Carneros Merlot is surprisingly dark with bright cherry, blueberry and currant aromatics on top of coffee/mocha, toast and cranberry. The palate is lush and velvety with good weight and soft tannins. The wine displays great richness, without being heavy or excessive. In short, it is quintessential Carneros Merlot.

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