Domaine de Gachet Lalande de Pomerol 2012, Bordeaux, France

It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.

Ruby in color with a wide brick rim.

Full bodied and elegant with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity and a soft mouthfeel.

Showing black and red fruits with tobacco, chocolates, coffee, oak, light vanilla, spices and black pepper.

Tangy finish with fine grained tannins and cranberries.

This is a very enjoyable Merlot blend from Bordeaux. I’ve had different vintages of this wine, and it is very consistent.

This 11 year old needs 2 hours to open up properly, so be patient.

A good food wine that will pair nicely with grilled meats.

A blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc.

13% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$40.

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Chateau Haut Cardinal Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2014, Bordeaux, France

It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Let’s bring Merlot back!

Dark ruby in color.

Dry on the palate and bold.

Full bodied with medium plus acidity.

Showing red fruits with earth, tobacco leaf, herbs and green vegetables.

Big tannins on the finish with raspberries.

This 9 year old is a little unbalanced. I expected more complexity at this point, but I didn’t get much.

Might need a few years in the bottle to mature properly.

Very drinkable and better with food. Paired nicely with fresh pizza with prosciutto and arugula.

13% alcohol by volume.

88 points.

$35.

Chateau Tertre Daugay Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé 2000, Bordeaux, France

It’s time for some Merlot on this#MerlotThursday. Let’s bring Merlot back!

This 23-year-old Merlot based Bordeaux is still drinking very nicely.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity and long legs.

Very dry on the palate with a nice mouthfeel.

Showing black plums, cooked cherries, oak, herbs, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco leaf, peppercorn, pencil lead, dark coffee, dark chocolates, earth and wet leaves.

Medium plus in length on the finish, with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very tasty wine from the great 2000 vintage in Bordeaux. Will continue to drink nicely in the next 5 to 10 years.

Showing nice complexity, soft and smooth.

Lost some of the fruits by now, but still very enjoyable by itself, and even better with food.

13% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$200.

Chateau Nenin Pomerol 2016, Bordeaux, France

It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Let’s bring Merlot back!

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Showing black fruits with earth, wood, spices, peppercorn, herbs, tobacco, graphite, dark coffee and dark chocolates.

Medium minus in length on the finish, with grippy tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 7 year old Merlot blend from Bordeaux is showing nice complexity now, although still very young.

I gave it 2 hours of airtime, but it was clearly not enough.

Robert Parker 93 points.

Still very young and tight. Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years. I had the 2012 a few years ago, and it was much more approachable.

A blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc. Aged in French oak barrels (35% new).

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$90.

Chateau Clinet Ronan Bordeaux 2016, France

It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Let’s bring Merlot back!

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Dry on the palate with medium acidity.

Showing black fruits with oak, licorice, spices, chocolates, vanilla, coffee, peppercorn, earth, vegetables and herbs.

Medium finish with medium tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 7 year old from the great 2016 vintage is still young and needs a few years in the bottle to mature properly. showing a soft mouthfeel with nice complexity.

Needed 3 hours in the decanter to open up.

Decanter 93 points.

100% Merlot grapes.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$12.

Chateau Kirwan Margaux Grand Cru Classé 2005, Bordeaux, France

This is a delicious 18 year old Cabernet Sauvignon blend from bordeaux.

Showing a gorgeous nose at this point.

Dry on the palate and nicely balanced.

Full-bodied with medium acidity.

Showing blackberries, black plums, black cherries, earth, tobacco, cedar, licorice, vanilla, light wet leaves, herbs and black pepper.

Loved the long finish here.

This Third Growth is rich and elegant. Complex and tasty.

This great 2005 vintage is showing wonderfully now. Peaking now and will continue to drink nicely in the next 5 to 7 years.

I had other vintages of this wine, and this vintage is definitely the best so far for me.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 30 minutes of airtime. Good by itself or with food. A great sipping wine.

Wine Enthusiasts 93 points. Wine Spectator 93 points.

A blend of 52 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot.

94 points.

$120.

Château Ducru Beaucaillou Saint Julien Grand Cru Classé 2005, Bordeaux, France

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity and a great mouthfeel.

Showing black fruits with earth, vanilla, cedar, leather, licorice, tobacco leaf, peppercorn, pencil lead, dark coffee, spices and dark chocolates.

Nice length on the finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

What a great Cabernet Sauvignon based blend from Saint Julien.

This gorgeous wine feels much younger than it is right now. Complex and tasty.

This 18 year old will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 4 hours in the decanter.

Wine Spectator 96 points. Wine Advocate 97 points.

Thank you Robbie for sharing this with me.

The 2005 vintage was outstanding, and it’s really shining through right here.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with a Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses. Will pair nicely with a nice piece of steak.

A blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot. Aged in 100% new French oak barrels.

13% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

$325.

Chateau Tertre Daugay Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé 2000, Bordeaux, France

It’s time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Nice fresh nose of blueberries, cherries, black currants, oak, licorice, plums, sweet spice, earth, herbs, peppercorn, pencil lead, dark coffee and dark chocolates.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, vanilla, coffee, licorice, dark chocolates, earth, tobacco leaf, herbs and black pepper.

Nice finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 22 year old, from the great 2000 vintage, is drinking very nicely now. Feels very young, and has a lot of years in it.

Nicely balanced with a nice, smooth mouthfeel. Spicy and entertaining.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.

I had it blind, and called it correctly including the Vintage, which only shows that it is very typical as one might expect it to be.

Good by itself or with food. Good right out of the bottle and better with airtime.

13% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$55 (at release)

Château Belgrave Haut Médoc Grand Cru Classé 2003 Bordeaux, France

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing red currants, cooked cherries, oak, spices, vanilla, herbs, licorice, cloves, dark coffee, pencil lead, earth, wet leaves and bitter vegetables.

Medium finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 19 year old has a lot of fruits still, and needs time to open up properly (1 hour), so be patient.

Showing great complexity at this point. Tasty and interesting.

I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

A blend of 46% Merlot and 46% Cabernet Sauvignon with Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Aged in (50% new) French oak barrels.

13% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$60.

Chateau du Cartillon Cru Bourgeois Haut Médoc 2017, Bordeaux, France

It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.

Deep purple in color with a short purplish rim.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity.

Very dry on the palate with mild complexity.

Showing red and black fruits with oak, tobacco, licorice, earth, coffee, bitter vegetables and peppercorn.

Short finish with grippy, bitter tannins.

This 5 year old Merlot based blend from Bordeaux is good right out of the bottle. A little unbalanced, but very drinkable, and better with food.

A very typical red Bordeaux.

Feels like it’s at the beginning of its drinking range so it will be nice to revisit it in 5 years.

A blend of 65% Merlot, 25% Petit Verdot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged in oak barrels for 18 months.

13% alcohol by volume.

88 points.

$20.