14 Hands Columbia Valley 2010 Merlot, $9.99-$11.99, 87 points, begins captivating you with a lovely crystal-clear ruby to cranberry color and clear rim.
Toasty-warm black berry notes, and a hint of grape lightly fill the nose.
Nearly medium bodied, this easy to drink dry red wine does acidity easy, but moderate tannin keeps the juicy flavor profile (dominated by vanilla with floral notes) in amplification throughout and into the black pepper, slightly minty/menthol finish.
14 Hands Merlot is a pleasant wine, one that should be considered when having a rather large gathering; The quality-price-ratio is excellent, the flavor is broadly appealing, and the moderate 13.5% alcohol won't knockout your guests either (at least not quickly).
Index-of-reviewed-wines
Copyright 2012 Dennis Tsiorbas. All rights reserved, Template provided by Blogger
Of all the WA wines I've tasted/reviewed, I can't say that I've ever tried any of 14 Hands stuff. Looks great for a ten buck Merlot.
ReplyDeleteI recently tasted this wine and this fellow New Englander thought it was excellent! Definitely a go-to Merlot for me. Lush flavors of mocha, black cherry and blackberries... probably due to the blend of 78% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Syrah, 1% Grenache and 1% Cabernet Franc. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteJon, thanks for your contribution; a friend of mine from Washington recommended this Merlot as his everyday table wine, and I can certainly see that.
ReplyDeleteDennis