Napa River Merlot 2007 Napa County Nose: Clove, tobacco, and prune in that order. There’s a lot of fruit in this medium-bodied wine including raspberry, cherry, and prune. Clove notes hang out for the aftertaste. It’s not terribly complex, but it’s a good, easy sipper.

Expect my blog posts to continue being a bit sporadic until the new year — we are headed out of town to visit friends and family in LA in a week, so while I hope to keep up posts, I’m not hitting quite as many restaurants lately due to lack of time!  I do plan
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Wine:  Lockwood Vineyard Monterey Merlot 2005 Region:  Central Coast of California The description on the back of this bottle declares it to be a remarkably balanced merlot.  Twice.  On first sip, I’d say that’s hyperbole.  Spices are the most prominent component, kind of like taking a bite of an old-fashioned stick of clove gum. It
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Wine:  Snapping Turtle Merlot 2007 Region:  Monterey, CA This smooth, full wine smelled of pipe tobacco and curry leaves.  It tasted of plum with a bite.  The tobacco was also present while sipping.  Strange, but surprisingly appealing as there was also a note of Dijon mustard.  Overall, a pleasant wine. Reviewed 9.7.09.

Other Words:  Depuis 1725 I must note that the label features a lovely piece of impressionist artwork with brilliant orange and red roads around an orchard.  I suppose it’s probably a vineyard but looks more like trees than vines, so I’m sticking to orchard. I did not discern a smell for this wine.  It is
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Wyndham Estate Cabernet Merlot Other words on the label: Bin 888 This medium to full-bodied wine smells richly of bing cherries and black pepper. The taste is a combination of plum and tobacco. Altogether, it is a full and near-perfect blend.

Two Tone Farm 2004 Merlot Other words on the label: California Tangy. Nutmeg. Thick and unripened apricots with a bit of eucalyptus tang. It numbs my tongue but I keep drinking anyhow.

Rene Barbier Mediterranean Red Other stuff on the label: Red Wine, Catalunya, Denominacion de Origen What year, you ask? Well, I’d let you know if I’d remember to find out before the bottle hit the recycling bin. With that many titles, it’s no wonder how many layers this wine has. I’ve found that I usually
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