Style Light red New World Country USA (WA) Price $10
Vintage tasted 2008 Grapes Merlot, Cabernet Franc
Website www.washingtonhills.com

Overview Ever since Sideways, American Merlot has had a bad reputation among many wine drinkers. That’s not entirely fair: even cheap domestic Merlot can be ripe and delicious. This example fits squarely in that mold— while it’s certainly very ripe, it manages to avoid tasting like fruit juice. So we’ll raise a glass to Paul Giamatti; thanks to you, there’s more for us.

Nose Our blind tasters loved the red fruit, which is matched by the distinct aroma of bell pepper.

Mouth Fresh fruit abounds, along with food-friendly acidity and a bit of tannin.