Moone-Tsai Vineyards
Hillside Blend Howell Mountain Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon
Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, California, USA
It's definitely time for a great Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.
Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.
Great nose of black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, vanilla, spices, espresso, cola, light herbs, peppercorn, pencil lead and earth.
Full bodied with medium acidity and elegant.
Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, mocha, earth, peppercorn and leather.
Nice length on the finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This is a delicious Merlot based blend from Napa Valley. Rich, yet elegant. Fruit forward with nice complexity.
This 8 year old Magnum is drinking very nicely now. The fact that it is from a great vintage doesn't hurt it either.
Delicious right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours of airtime.
Excellent quality. Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.
Thank you Barry for sharing this with me.
Good by itself or with food. I paired it with delicious lamb chops.
Grapes are grown at 2,100 feet of elevation. A blend of 71% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged in French oak barrels (31% new) for 25 months. A small production of 579 cases. Made by Philippe Melka.
15.1% alcohol by volume.
94 points.
$350 (Magnum)
It's definitely time for a great Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.
Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.
Great nose of black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, vanilla, spices, espresso, cola, light herbs, peppercorn, pencil lead and earth.
Full bodied with medium acidity and elegant.
Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, mocha, earth, peppercorn and leather.
Nice length on the finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This is a delicious Merlot based blend from Napa Valley. Rich, yet elegant. Fruit forward with nice complexity.
This 8 year old Magnum is drinking very nicely now. The fact that it is from a great vintage doesn't hurt it either.
Delicious right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours of airtime.
Excellent quality. Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.
Thank you Barry for sharing this with me.
Good by itself or with food. I paired it with delicious lamb chops.
Grapes are grown at 2,100 feet of elevation. A blend of 71% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged in French oak barrels (31% new) for 25 months. A small production of 579 cases. Made by Philippe Melka.
15.1% alcohol by volume.
94 points.
$350 (Magnum)
This is not as ready to drink as their cab but that's Howell Mtn.. tannins are bigger and it has a bit of bite but not that much. Fruits again are creamy, round, full and lush. Blackberries, black raspberries, blueberries, black plum. a little smoke, touch of herbs, grilled meats, powdery dark minerals, rich black moist soil, soft leather, just a hint of grafite. Finishes long and beautiful. Consistent start to finish. She'll be a beauty 10-15 years down the road.
This is not as ready to drink as their cab but that's Howell Mtn.. tannins are bigger and it has a bit of bite but not that much. Fruits again are creamy, round, full and lush. Blackberries, black raspberries, blueberries, black plum. a little smoke, touch of herbs, grilled meats, powdery dark minerals, rich black moist soil, soft leather, just a hint of grafite. Finishes long and beautiful. Consistent start to finish. She'll be a beauty 10-15 years down the road.
1 person found it helpfulSep 18th, 2016
Deep black-purple hues in the glass. Intense highly concentrated nose flashing peet moss, black fruit jam jar and a cedar edge. Ran through a Venturi sipped 15min later. Tannins are chewy and big. Wine builds slow, front of the palate hints coco dusted chocolates and dried plum. Back of the palate is the show, cigar box, singed wood accents and leather. Mouth dry finish that rolls and tickles presenting fruit, minerals and herbaceous aftertaste. Fun young, but will do better with some time in the bottle. I couldn't help myself...
Deep black-purple hues in the glass. Intense highly concentrated nose flashing peet moss, black fruit jam jar and a cedar edge. Ran through a Venturi sipped 15min later. Tannins are chewy and big. Wine builds slow, front of the palate hints coco dusted chocolates and dried plum. Back of the palate is the show, cigar box, singed wood accents and leather. Mouth dry finish that rolls and tickles presenting fruit, minerals and herbaceous aftertaste. Fun young, but will do better with some time in the bottle. I couldn't help myself...
Nov 17th, 2016
dark skin fruit, cherry, long finish
dark skin fruit, cherry, long finish
Aug 15th, 2019
Hands down, one of my favorite blends from Napa (particularly Howell Mountain). Tons of blueberry notes! Love it!
Hands down, one of my favorite blends from Napa (particularly Howell Mountain). Tons of blueberry notes! Love it!
Oct 21st, 2018
This paired perfectly with a Twix. 😂❤️ Balanced and nearly perfect. This wine was delicious.
This paired perfectly with a Twix. 😂❤️ Balanced and nearly perfect. This wine was delicious.
Dec 19th, 2017
Decanted for 3 hours. Creamy thickness that coated my tongue. Leather with dark berries not able to fully wake up just yet.
Decanted for 3 hours. Creamy thickness that coated my tongue. Leather with dark berries not able to fully wake up just yet.
May 14th, 2017
Hugely ripe 71% merlot 29%, 15.1 % cab from Howell mt. A cornucopia of dark fruits, cinnamon, clove, vanilla. Spice on the finish. Some time would benefit, try again in 2020.
Hugely ripe 71% merlot 29%, 15.1 % cab from Howell mt. A cornucopia of dark fruits, cinnamon, clove, vanilla. Spice on the finish. Some time would benefit, try again in 2020.
Apr 23rd, 2017
Big flavors with strong tannins. Still thought it was great, but will continue to improve over the next few years. Recommend!
Big flavors with strong tannins. Still thought it was great, but will continue to improve over the next few years. Recommend!
Mar 15th, 2017