Blackstone Merlot

Merlots elude me, seems like every one I've tried is different. I don't remember any that have really stuck with me as I gotta have that again. A few months ago I ordered a glass of Merlot while out for dinner and really enjoyed it. I remember it being dry but with a wonderful plum flavor that really won me over. I really thought it was a Blackstone Merlot, so I picked up a bottle to see if I would like it at home.

I opened this bottle as a sipping wine which could be my first mistake. Some how I'm thinking merlots are more a wine you drink with dinner. I didn't taste any fruit the first day this was open. It was bitey and very dry. I slowly sipped a glass, poured the rest in the decanter. The next day I sipped another glass with dinner and it was better. I still didn't taste the plummy flavor from the restaurant so maybe it wasn't Blackstone that I had. I finished the bottle with C on the third night while cooking dinner. It was still ok. Not a fave. And I would rate it "eh."

What are some good Merlots I should try? Anyone have any faves?

'The Other' Red 2008

Label was everything with this wine. I'd seen it before in the wine store we visit while in the Chicago area, and this time I impulse purchased based on the theory that wine with a naked lady on the label's gotta be good. The Other is made at Peirano Estate Vineyards in Lodi California and is a blend. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 10% Syrah.

I thought this wine was ok. I haven't tasted a lot of blended wines to say whether this one particularly well blended. It definitely benefited from breathing. I sipped after 10 min in my glass and it needed to sit for another 20 min or so. The bite mellowed out a bit and I could taste a bit of plum or fruit to it that I think comes from the merlot. I associate plum flavors with merlot. Two days after sitting in the decanter and the wine is still good. I can taste the beginnings of oxidation but the initial bite is still there but much mellower than the first night.

My theory of naked ladies on the label has so far panned out. This wine wasn't bad, although I'm not sure I'd go out and buy it again.

Dry Creek Fume Blanc

It's been a while now since I tried this wine. I had high hopes for it, maybe they were too high. When first opened I found it had quite a bite to it. After letting the glass sit for a few minutes that seemed to mellow out a bit. I could taste a slight fruity quality to it but it was pretty hidden behind that bite. I corked the bottle and stuck it in the fridge a bit disappointed.

A couple days later I came back to the bottle to finish her off. Like the last bottle I found that the fruitiness in the wine was a lot stronger 2-3 days after uncorking. I enjoyed it much more this time around. I did some quick research about letting white wines breath or decant and mostly came up with the result that they don't need it. Although apparently some people will decant whites. This is the first I've come across that benefited from a little air. Has any one else come across the need to decant white wines? or have any opinions on it?
In general this wine was ok. Even after a few days it's not a great wine but a good one for the price which was under $15.

Luzon red

I am apart of our local liquor store's wine club. Which means that once a month they send me a coupon for what ever bottle of wine they choose that month. It's unusually an inexpensive bottle that gets decent reviews. So I picked up a bottle of Luzon for the whopping price of $6 and some cents. It took a while to get to opening the bottle and giving it a go.
I opened the bottle up a couple weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised. A little bitey but that decreased as the wine breathed. I enjoyed a nice glass in the evening then recorked to have some the following night. The next night while cooking dinner and sipped on another glass and the wine was already very rapidly oxidizing. The bitey flavor was very strong and not decreasing this time. I was a bit bummed.
This wine is from Spain and I believe the bottle I bought was the 2007 vintage. So if you find this bottle in your wine rack make sure to finish it off the night you open it!

Kaleidoscope White Wine

Kaleidoscope white table wine was another one of those bottles purchased b/c of the label. I feel for good reason, b/c this is a really pretty bottle! Unfortunately, the wine was kinda eh. It was ok, it was drinkable, and inexpensive ($10). I'd drink it again if it was given to me as a gift or if someone else purchased it b/c of the pretty label. I probably won't buy it again.

I couldn't find a link to the vineyard that produces this wine. I'd be curious to see what grapes were used and it that would explain it's "ehness" to me. To me it was a white wine trying to be dry or semi sweet, but was just too fruity and sweet for my taste.

In searching for the vineyard's website I found the designer responsible for the label. Check him out here, I also borrowed the pic from him. Bravo on the label, you officially sold at least one bottle of this companies wine!