It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.
Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.
Medium plus in body with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate with nice complexity.
Showing currents, plums, cherries, oak, wet leaves, herbs, black pepper, tobacco leaf, earth, dark coffee and black tea.
Short finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
This 26 year old Merlot is still drinking very nicely. Showing a nice mouthfeel with nice complexity.
Will continue to drink nicely in the next 5 to 7 years, but will not improve from here on.
Needs an hour to open up properly, so be patient.
This was not a good vintage in Pomerol, but it held up pretty well.
Good by itself or with food.
A blend of mostly Merlot with Cabernet Franc. Aged in French oak barrels for 18 months.
12.5% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$250. — 2 years ago
Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
Fun to open birth year wines around your birthday, especially when you can do a Bordeaux and Napa side by side. While not a great vintage, this held up well after a few hours and presented as expected. Clean and zero Brett. Great color! Deep ruby with hardly any bricking. Leather, cassis, vanilla pipe tobacco on the nose. Sporting a good bit of dusty red and black fruits (mostly tart raspberries and blackberries), there was a little savory truffle note mixed with an herbal and mocha finish. Still quite grippy. Pretty. — 2 years ago
5/21/23 Tasting group. Group 1st, my 1st. Vestigial red fruit. Getting tired but lively in the group. Drink. Held up pretty well overnight. — 2 years ago
Enjoyed with a Cantonese beef stew, dad's recipe. Decanted 3 hours before dinner and it still held tight graphite, cedar, and black fruit notes. A touch closed up or young right now, will revisit my next bottle in 5 to 10 years — 8 months ago
Have held onto a six pack of these for several years but it’s not been long enough…super sparkly, like it’s a ‘24. Despite decanting two hours! Love the Rafanelli but needs a lot of age. — 9 months ago
Held it just long enough for perfection. — 2 years ago
Last of our ‘07 Peays. Wow. This bottle was spectacular, held better than our other Peay SS ‘07. — 2 years ago
James K
Lordy. Talk about QPR. Bought this awhile ago and held onto it as it is our son‘s birth year. opened tonight it is at its prime. Drinking beautifully. Everything you’d want is there. It was enough that my wife inquired about joining the wine club, which I told her was not necessary. Let me know if I’m wrong. — a month ago