Merlot Wine Tasting Notes

1999 Heritage Road
South Australia Merlot
Score: 84.0
"Yummy-soft, rich cherry-berry, light vanilla, light tannin, and a super fruit finish. Simple, but, but so fruity it puts a smile on your face."

Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi
California Merlot
Score: 86.0
"Dry, light body, cherry fruit with herbal character, light tannin and silky texture. A fine wine for the price."

1997 Mirassou Harvest Reserve
Monterey County Merlot
Score: 88.0
"Black cherry fruit, nutmeg, toast, moderate tannin and a chewy, toasty finish."

1998 Glen Ellen
California Merlot Reserve
Score: 88.0

1998 Chateau St. Jean
Sonoma County Merlot
Score: 89.0
"Dark chocolate, toast and light oak spice intertwined with juicy black cherry fruit; medium, well-integrated tannin; nicely balanced and long. This is a well-made wine, good now, with some staying power."

1998 Seven Peaks
Central Coast Merlot
Score: 89.0
"Rich black cherry fruit, supple on the mid-palate with moderate tannin, subtle oak spice, and good length."

1997 Stags Leap Wine Cellars
Napa Valley Merlot
Score: 90.0
"Dark chocolate and toast over blackberry fruit, medium tannin and a drying finish. Needs a few years to resolve the tannins."

1997 Robert Mondavi Winery
Carneros Napa Valley Merlot unfiltered
Score: 93.0
"Enticing nose of black cherries and vanilla, dry, medium bodied and supple, with moderate tannin, and complex herbal undercurrents. Perfectly drinkable now with red meat or tomato based sauces, it will continue to improve over the next dedade."

1998 Fleur du Cap
South Africa Merlot
Score: 85.0
"Black cherry nose, medium body, dry, soft tannin, slightly bitter on the finish. A good mouthful of wine, though in need of a few more years of aging."

1999 Forest Glen Winery Forest Fire
California White Merlot
Score: 87.0
"A rose by any other name is still a rose, and this so called 'White' Merlot is a delightful rose, off-dry with good balancing acidity and full of ripe watermelon-berry fruit. It would pair well with chicken, pasta, soups and fish."

1997 Shafer
Napa Valley Merlot
Score: 89.0
"Powerful and spicy, like cherry-berry fruit sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg, yet soft and silky on the palate. A pleasure for both novice and connoisseur. "

1997 Robert Mondavi Winery
Napa Valley Merlot
Score: 81.0
"Not one of Mondavis best efforts, this is a surprisingly blocky, tight wine, dry with fuzzy tannins. The finish is long and enticing, with dried cherry and vanilla notes, suggesting the wine might have potential, but for now its merely a mediocre offering."

1997 Pine Ridge
Carneros Napa Valley Merlot
Score: 89.0
"Lovely and lush with bright black cherry fruit, superb structure and fuzzy tannins that will take about 3 years to resolve. "

1997 Vichon Mediterranean
[france] Merlot
Score: 82.0
"Silky on the mid-palate, chalky in the finish, with a muted nose and simple berry flavors. Tart, easy to drink picnic wine."