Technicals:

Alcohol: 14.7%

Blend: 98% Merlot, 2% Petite Verdot

Aging: 18 months in 30% new French oak

Production: 5,372 cases plus 835 cases of the half bottles (375ml)

Price: $38.99 at AZ Wine Company

The nose:  Not much going on with the nose, but for me that seems about right with a Merlot.  Little bit of black fruit, little bit of oak.

The palate:  The palate explodes!  The subdued nose is very misleading.  Full bodied bright plum. Not quite ripe plums.  Solid chewy tannins ala black tea, strong black tea.  Squeaky teeth tannins.  There is a little bit of heat on the back-end, not enough to be off-putting for me, but enough that this Merlot would pair well red meats.

The company literature describes this Merlot is a Cabernet lover’s Merlot.  I agree.  And I LOVE big powerful Cabernet’s.  I tasted this wine at a wine tasting, so the sample that I made this review from was rather limited.  My reviews usually consist of consuming the whole bottle…half one night, and then the other half 24 hours later…Tim.