2002 Pine Ridge - Crimson Creek Merlot

We received this "middle of the road" Napa Valley Merlot as a gift a while ago. Tonight, we served it with a steak salad (leftover flank steak).

Back in 1997, we visited Pine Ridge Winery and actually had dinner in their cellars as guests of HP at the Champions Tour Pro-Am golf tournament at Silverado Country Club. It was a very unique experience playing "inside the ropes".

Winemaker's notes:
This elegant, medium dark ruby Merlot wraps black cherry fruit flavors with underlying hints of blueberry and vanilla in light earthy notes of tobacco and sweet cocoa. A supple medium-to-long finish makes this an enjoyable wine now or you may choose to cellar five to eight years.

2003 Deerfield Ranch Merlot Cuvee'

We took a bottle of this wine over to the Franklin's for their holiday buffet luncheon. It was a very nice, easy drinking Merlot made from a blend of Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, and Napa County grapes. (The picture of the label is from the 2004 vintage.)

Winemaker's notes: 75% Merlot, 11% Cab, with Malbec and Sangiovese. We could just call it Merlot but our focus has always been on blending so with “Cuvee” we make more a point of it. The best wines are blends, it’s like making the best soup or sauce, it’s about interplay of flavors and effects. 850 cases were produced.

Connoisseur's Guide to California Wines: From its layered aromas of oak-sweetened cherries to its very smooth, neatly proportioned flavors, this engaging Merlot hits all of the right varietal marks and shows a fair measure of fruity depth in the bargain. It is nicely rounded in feel with muted tannins and a lengthy, easy-to-taste finish, and, while it can hold well in the cellar for three or four years, it delivers lots of straightforward appeal right now.

2004 Esterlina Merlot Cole Ranch

Yesterday evening, we cooked a total Indian food dinner to woo several friends into looking at the photos from our recent trip.

We threw caution to the winds in terms of food pairing and served whatever wines we thought we wanted to drink.

Esterlina Vineyards is a family-owned, California boutique winery located near the Mendocino coast, nestled in the highlands above the town of Philo. They own the only vineyard in the tiny Cole Ranch appellation.

The color of this Merlot was a rich garnet. There were lots of black fruit aromas, with plum, clove and a bit of smoky oak, too. The flavors were ripe, rich and complex, with black cherry, blackberry, and cocoa. This is a red wine hard not to like. Esterlina produced 923 cases.

2005 Fielding Hills Merlot

This Merlot is from a wonderful small winery run by Mike and Karen Wade and located in East Wenatchee, Washington (Columbia River Valley). (Check out this link to find the location of East Wenatchee.)

We got on their mailing list a while back and have been enormously pleased with their wines. Excellent quality, reasonable price. I think most Washington State wines are still "under the radar" of restaurant wine buyers and wine fans of good wine.

200 cases were produced of this wine made from grapes on the Wahluke Slope in Mattawa, WA. Wine Enthusiast rated the wine an Editor's Choice and 93 points.

“A gorgeous dried potpourri nose leads the way to flavors of cranberry, flowers, and milk chocolate on the palate. The bright acidity keeps these flavors dancing, along to the finish. An agile merlot that will compliment a wide variety of food

pairings.”

Our friends Margot and J.P. are visiting from Australia. We served this wine with a dinner of grilled pork chops, vegetable tian, and cooked apples.

2006 Cormòns - DOC Collio Merlot

This wine is from the Fruili area in Italy. It is 100% Merlot grapes. It was served with a course of baby lamb chops, couscous, and ratatouille.