The Best Merlot Wine To Enjoy Now: MerlotMe La Jota Vineyard Co. is another brand producing another stunning Merlot, also made by Christopher Carpenter. This is made from fruit from Howell Mountain, a vineyard I’ve actually visited with the La Jota Team which is incredible. You feel as if you’re at the top of Napa Valley with rolling vineyards in the most secluded nook of the mountain. Tasting the wine in the vineyard it was grown in added an element to the flavor that’s hard to explain…. The 2015 La Jota Merlot showcases the mountain terroir with amazing body, dark coffee and chocolate flavors combined with ripe black fruit and a lovely big bold taste on the palate.

Me, Merlot & I: Drinking Merely Merlot Smooth, seamless, this Merlot (with 10% Petite Verdot added in) surprises in that the acidity is more pronounced. It’s a big boy at 15% alcohol but also has a lot of grace for a hefty wine. You’ll find rich black cherry, blueberry, blackberry, boysenberry along with pronounced cedar, vanilla, and anise. Winemaker Chris Carpenter does not shy away from a bold, expressive wine.

Merlot is Back! Celebrate Merlot Month You might have a different opinion, but based on what we have been tasting, Merlot is back! It has returned from it’s boring, stuffy world to be bright, beautiful and interesting. The noble grape is back in style and brings more diversity with it. Chris Carpenter, winemaker at La Jota Vineyard Co., is producing some great bottles made with the grape. Letting the terrior of the vineyards show, his work is interesting and a perfect example of where Merlot is headed. So this Merlot month, and really all of the fall and winter season, get back into Merlot. We started with the 2015 La Jota Howell Mountain Merlot and were not disappointed. It’s bright with red fruit notes and a balance of earthy hints to round out the wine. Drink it now or wait a few years, either way, this Merlot is dressed to impress.

La Crema is known for its primary focus on California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. This limited-production sparkling wine, however, has found a home in Oregon’s cool-climate Willamette Valley. A blend of the winery’s signature grapes, the Pinot Noir-forward bubbly is a beauty.

InterVin 2018|2019 Gold Medal La Crema's made a name for itself by consistantly providing quality Burgundy-style Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, and this is no exception. Rich and complex, this deeply coloured Pinot shows an intense black cherry and gunpowder nose that pushes into a savoury palate of earth, mushroom, forest floor and ripe berries before exiting with a sweet, long finish.

New Zealand-born winemaker Craig McAllister sources fruit from six AVAs for La Crema's portfolio, which includes this benchmark Sonoma Coast offering. It's lush and plush, with oodles of plum and pomegranate perfumes and a hint of chocolatey richness. Gently persistent tannins drive the finish. Barbecued quail would be the perfect pairing.

Cherry and pencil aroma. Minerals and stone mix with the red fruit on the palate. Nice body, lingering finish. Good plus.

The Jackson family has changed the Californian wine landscape with this Vintner's Reserve chardonnay. It's a full, rich style, with ripe peach and toffee apple aromas backed by a whiff of sweet vanillin oak. Expect lots of stone-fruit and melon flavours with a bright, spicy aftertaste. Grilled lobster, please.

What To Drink Now: Balanced Red Blends Some of the world’s finest wines are blends, and here are a few standout options to consider. (Some were sent for editorial consideration.) Cheers… Australia’s Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard blends 56% Cabernet Sauvignon with 44% Shiraz in The Peake to create a robust wine with anise, smoked spice, and pepper.

This wine is 100% merlot. The grapes were sorted straight into open fermenters and the berries underwent a four-day cold soak. The wine was pumped over daily during fermentation, and the minimum time on skins was twenty-one days. After basket-pressing the lighter pressings were included in the free run; the heavier pressings kept separate. Three rack-and-returns were conducted over fifteen months as the wine seasoned in a mixture of Bordeaux-coopered barrels. The resulting wine comes in at 14% ABV. The wine showed a dark garnet color. Blackberry, raspberry preserves, cherry, currant, mossy earth and oak all arrived on the deep and alluring nose. Blackberry, raspberry, cherry, currant, vanilla, mossy earth and oak followed on a palate teeming with ripe, berry fruit. The wine exhibietd great structure and length, along with moderate tannins. This wine would pair well with a roast leg of lamb or a grilled tri-tip.

The Best Merlot Wine To Enjoy Now: MerlotMe I have had the chance to taste Hickinbotham’s stunning Australian Merlot a few times and each time I fall more in love… With a 92 point score from Wine Advocate no wonder it’s hard to find and purchase (per the website, limited availability, contact the estate to acquire at 1-844-747-4327 with a limit of 6 bottles per customer). This stunning Merlot is beyond elegant with bright dark fruit flavors, bold taste and rich tannins. On the nose are aromas of red currant, dark fruit such as black cherry with a bold tanning structure yet silky and stunning texture. This is approachable and very enjoyable now (trust me, we devoured the bottle), yet also something if you age will get even more fabulous.

Syrah Masters 2018: Master Once we were over £50, however, we couldn’t help but award a clutch of Masters, with the Barossa’s Savitas and Levantine Hill wowing the judges, as did the Hermitage Monier de la Sizeranne from Chapoutier, and the Hickinbotham Brooks Road Shiraz from McLaren Vale – all celebrated wines attracting glorious scores.

25 of Our Favorite Under-the-Radar California Reds Beringer and Peter Michael put Knights Valley on the map, but it’s this Galerie “Latro” offering that will remind enthusiasts and collectors alike that you can still pickup quality mountain Cabernet for under around $50. The “Latro” is dark and opulent with an herbal and mineral edge that conjures a broad-shouldered but balanced Left Bank Bordeaux. Beautiful blackberry and blackcurrant adorn the mid-palate with a contrast of graphite and crushed rocks that adds depth to the finish.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages Composed of 82% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot and 6% Malbec, the very deep purple-black colored 2016 Le Désir is a little closed to begin, opening out to reveal absolutely stunning scents of potpourri, roses and orange peel over a core of crushed blackcurrants, black cherries and dark chocolate with touches of cinnamon stick and cloves plus a waft of forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is exquisitely delicate and refined, with super ripe, fine-grained tannins and wonderful freshness, finishing with epic persistence.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2016 La Joie is a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. Very deep purple-black in color, it gives up the most gorgeous scents of lilacs, baking spices, incense and star anise with a core of warm cassis, Black Forest cake, redcurrant jelly and unsmoked cigars. Full-bodied and built like a brick house, it has a firm frame of very ripe, grainy tannins and bold, multilayered black fruit, finishing very long and very spicy.

Why it's an exciting time for Sonoma Cabernet Never any question that this is a wine built with impact and seduction in mind. It’s so cleverly constructed that you almost don’t notice how it contracts as the tannins take hold, drawing out the whole experience. Clear elegance with tiny kicks of minerality that pulse and lift upwards through...

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes sashaying out of the glass with notes of fragrant earth, exotic spices, black pepper and truffles over a core of cassis, black cherry compote and wild blueberries with touches of violets. Full-bodied, rich, sexy and simply delicious, it fills the mouth with bold, layered black fruit supported by incredible tension and wonderfully ripe tannins, finishing long.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) is deep purple-black in color and offers an incredible perfume of lilacs, black truffles, violets and menthol over a core of cassis, mulberries and warm plums plus a waft of tobacco leaf. The palate is full-bodied and built like a brick house with very firm, very ripe tannins and oodles of freshness cutting through the earthy layers, finishing very long.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages Composed of 77% Merlot and 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 W.S. Keyes Merlot offers up glorious scents of plum preserves, chocolate-covered cherries and blackberry pie with hints of wild sage, espresso, star anise and menthol. Full, rich and firmly textured with wonderfully velvety tannins and bold, layered flavors, it finishes very long and earthy.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2016 Hartford Court Chardonnay Seascape Vineyard leaps from the glass with exuberant notes of green mangoes, yuzu, mandarin peel and pink grapefruit with touches of baker's yeast, pie crust, beeswax and oyster shell. It's medium-bodied with a very, very taut, intense and refreshing palate, sporting incredible tension and layers and finishing very long and very minerally.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard comes from a vineyard that contains more river rock. It's very deep purple-black in color and reveals exuberant cassis, black cherries, plum preserves and wild blueberry scents with touches of cedar chest, tilled soil, truffles and pencil lead plus a waft of bay leaves. The palate has an incredible structure of very firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, framing the muscular, full-bodied fruit and finishing on a very long, lingering mineral note.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages A blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 7% Malbec, 5% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is deep garnet-purple colored and features gregarious crème de cassis, black cherry preserves and baked plums with touches of Indian spices, cigar box and charcuterie. Full, firm and decadently fruited, it has a fantastic foundation and very long, layered and expressive finish.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2016 Hartford Court Pinot Noir Seascape Vineyard is pale to medium ruby-purple colored and opens with vibrant cranberries, pomegranate and Bing cherries scents with touches of underbrush, wild sage, red roses and mossy bark with a waft of tilled soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate packs in the elegant red fruit and earthy layers, finishing on a long, lingering, provocative mineral note.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2016 Hartford Court Chardonnay Jennifer’s Vineyard displays intense notes of grapefruit, green guava, mango and pineapple with nuances of talc, oyster shells and fresh ginger. The palate is medium-bodied, elegant and super intense with tightly wound layers of citrus and tropical fruits and bags of mineral notions on the epically long finish. This needs time but should emerge from the cellar gloriously in 2-3 years!

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages A blend of 88.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4.4% Petit Verdot, 4.2% Cabernet Franc and 3.2% Merlot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyards comes skipping out of the glass with a spring it its step and singing notes of crushed blackcurrants, fresh blackberries and red and black plums with touches of underbrush, fungi, wild sage, chocolate mint and cigar boxes. Full-bodied and built like a brick house, it has a rock-solid frame of firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness supporting the generous, crunchy fruit, finishing long with a touch of minerality.