ON THE NOSE:
Mocha, some earth, the fruit is present: Luigi’s cherry Italian ice! A nice mellow nose, nothing huge, but smells promising. There are definitely offerings here! On the heels of the Yalumba Cab/Shiraz we had yesterday it seems a little weak, but we both think it will be satisfying. Some black pepper, maybe even a little green pepper, and a little Portabella mushroom; as always, this earth aspect is welcome and appreciated. A nice classic Merlot aroma, soft and polite, this wine is sincere in what it brings, and for those who are patient and dig deep there is much here to enjoy. As the wine grows into itself – a lanky teenager turning into a confident young adult – the nose offers some nice complexity, adding whiffs of cream. A memory flits into my mind: a nice warm aroma of clean sheets in a sleeping-nook where I stayed at someone’s house unexpectedly one evening. They have a really cool sleeping alcove, with a bookshelf and candles and a window so you can hear the creek out back. At first I was upset about not being home, but then I rather liked this little guest-area with its different smells and cozy sensuality, and I settled in lazily and felt so relaxed. THAT is what this wine brings; peace, harmony, good will and safety. Sometimes that is nice; sometimes it is very nice. You can smell the candles. You can smell the air coming in, and if you close your eyes you can smell the creek and the wet rocks. You feel safe here, and taken care of. Nothing over-the-top tonight.
ON THE PALATE:
Soft and supple like a sister or brother you can always depend on, who will Love you first and judge you not. Merlot always has such a good balance of acidity and tannins, and this one is just right, I mean, we knew what we were getting into when we opened this Argentinean friend, on a lazy hazy Friday evening, and it is delivering just that; no surprise is sometimes nice, like tonight. This goes down smooth; not the thick shag carpet of a bold Cabernet Sauvignon, but that thin layer of velvet on the putting green in a well-made miniature golf park, albeit red, not green. Purposely, this evening, we did not look to see how much we paid for this bottle, as it was purchased a month or more ago, but instead we wanted to evaluate it on its own merit, not knowing if it was a $7 bottle or $30, but also knowing it is likely somewhere in between those two figures. This wine shows very nice acidity with a shy tannic backbone, but once again, this is exactly what one would expect, so this is dead-on. Although we are wine-first people we did get hungry while drinking and the hamburgers (organically raised beef, of course!) we had went well with the Merlot, though we were smart enough to not put our usual horseradish on the burger, a lesson learned during a fine bottle one evening.
This wine is polished with a very pleasant nose leading to a supple attack with a bright mid-palate, not shy on acidity, and a warm, agreeable, and surprisingly long finish. OK now, how much did this bottle cost? Darcey said she would not feel cheated at all if this were a $20 bottle. I am the one who buys all the wine – I’m not a chauvinist, it’s just that I’m the one with the credit-card right now, and I know Darcey’s tastes because they are so remarkably similar to my own – so I really have a better idea of what I am paying, thus, my guess: $12. Actual retail price of this Merlot from the “Wine Library” in New Jersey: $7.99. Yup, just $8 was paid for this little cutie of a wine. When I order through the Internet like this I always figure in an extra $2 per bottle for shipping charges, and even then this wine, at $10, is $2 less than my guess, and exactly half as much as Darcey’s guess. Not a bad deal at all. Our thanks and appreciation goes to Gary Vaynerchuk and Wine Library for bringing us such great values. What I like about Gary is that he brings us so many wines that are under the radar, and for Darcey and I right now, at this point in our lives, that is very meaningful as we truly can’t afford bottles above $30, even though we do treat ourselves from time to time, like yesterday’s Yalumba. We highly recommend this wine, particularly given its QPR, but even without the nice price I would recommend it. This Merlot was very, very nice.
(Click here for an explanation of our ratings ...)
Our Rating: 89+
Would we drink it again? 
Yes, there are many times when a nice mellow yet rich and interesting wine like this is called for, and this one fits that niche nicely.
Would we buy it again?
Yes, the QPR is amazingly high; $8 is a VERY good value here. If I had the resources I would buy a case of this, maybe even two, just to have on hand. I'd also like to try their Malbec.
