Alexander Valley Vineyards Homestead Red Blend 2018 Sonoma County, California

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

Dark ruby in color with a redish rim.

Strong nose of black currants, black cherries, plums, oak, licorice, barnyard, vegetables, bell pepper, herbs, earth and light black pepper.

Medium plus in body and smooth, with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with plums, cherries, wood, spices, light vanilla, tobacco, chocolates, dark coffee, earth, vegetables and graphite.

Medium finish with fine tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a nice Merlot based blend from Alexander Valley. Fruity, but with lots of vegetable notes. Very true to the region.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up. Easy drinking with a nice mouthfeel. A good everyday wine.

Feels young and will be better in the next 3 years.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with a Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses. Paired very nicely with the brie cheese.

A blend of 44% Merlot, 32% Zinfandel, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Grenache, 6% Mourvedre and 3% Syrah.

14% alcohol by volume.

88 points.

$23.

Titus Vineyards Napa Valley Zinfandel 2017, California

This is very tasty Zinfandel from Napa Valley with nice complexity and a smooth mouthfeel.

Fruit forward and still young, but already very enjoyable.

Showing black fruits with oak, licorice, spices, coffee, vanilla, mocha, tobacco, peppercorn, espresso and chocolates.

Full bodied and bold with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with and very fruity with lots of chocolate notes.

Good right out of the bottle, but way better after an hour of airtime. Would be nice to revisit it in 5 years.

Thank you Wendy for sharing.

Good by itself or with food, like BBQ burgers.

15.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$35.

Van Asperen Vineyards Napa Valley Zinfandel 1997, California

So today my son got accepted to law school, and it’s time to celebrate with his birth year wine, that I kept for this occasion.

A pretty ruby in color with a wide brick/ brownish rim.

Wonderful nose of blueberries, blackberries, cooked strawberries, cedar, licorice, vanilla, cola, light forest floor, earth, light coffee, leather and Indian spices. Just beautiful.

Medium bodied, soft and smooth, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, stewed plums, cooked cherries, cedar, light vanilla, spices, dark chocolates, coffee, herbs, tobacco, light sweet vinaigrette and peppercorn.

Long finish with zero tannins and tangy raspberries.

What a wonderful 23 year old Zinfandel this is. Drinking so nicely and smoothly at this point. Showing great complexity with a great mouthfeel.

The high alcohol is very well integrated at this point. Delicious by itself or with food.

I did not decant it, and it was delicious right out of the bottle. Even better after 20 minutes.

Since I was drinking it (almost) by myself (covid), it lasted for 3 hours, and I really enjoyed it this whole time.

Elegant, rich and structured with a wonderful nose.

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

15.8% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

Pestoni Family Estate Winery 1892 Field Blend 2017, California

For National Zinfandel Day, here is a nice one from California.

This is a nice and spicy Zinfandel based blend from Lake County, California. Nicely balanced with a soft mouthfeel.

Showing red and black fruits with chocolate notes, tobacco, light oak, earth, vanilla, spices, espresso, cola and peppercorn.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate and easy drinking.

Nice finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

Good right out of the bottle and good by itself. Better once it opens up (30 minutes).

I had this vintage before, over a year ago, and it is drinking better now. A little high on alcohol so watch yourself 😉

I paired it with cheeses and crackers.

A blend of 83% Zinfandel, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Petite Sirah.

14.7% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$30.

Scout and Cellar The Resident Zinfandel 2018 Mendocino County, California

This is a nice Zinfandel from Mendocino County in California. Simple and easy drinking.

Showing cherries, currants, blackberries, light wood, earth, vanilla, spices and chocolates.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity. A little hot, but with a nice mouthfeel.

Dry on the palate, jammy and very fruity.

Nice finish with fine-grained tannins and cherries.

A nice porch sipper, with a tangy ending. Good by itself or with food, and good right out of the bottle.

I had it with a gorgeous view, by the lake.

A blend of 85% Zinfandel and 15% Petite Sirah. Aged in French Oak barrels. Unfiltered and unfined. Vegan.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

88 points.

$24.

Foyt Family Wines No. 93 The Final Lap Non-Vintage, California 92

Dark ruby in color with a brick rim.

Strong nose of blackberries, sweet cherries, blackberries, dried figs, raisins, vanilla, cedar, licorice, citrus, caramel, alcohol, peppercorn, maple, mocha, coke, chocolates and tobacco.

Medium plus in body with high acidity

Sweet on the palate with blackberries, cherries, blueberries, wood, cloves, vanilla, espresso, cola, spices, peppercorn, chocolates, tobacco, dark coffee and maple.

Long finish with citrus notes and honey.

This is a very tasty sweet dessert wine from California. Nicely balanced with enough acidity to balance out the sugars.

Showing lots of chocolate and coffee notes. Nice and tangy. Would be interesting to see how it evolves in the next 5 years.

Good by itself and good right out of the bottle.

A great dessert wine that will pair nicely with chocolates. I had it all by itself. Yummy and delicious.

18.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$45.

Oakwild Ranch Winery Jacqueline Mendocino Ridge Field Blend 2014, California

Time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Spicy nose of blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, vanilla, licorice, cloves, herbs, spices, dark chocolates, coffee, earth, pencil lead and peppercorn.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, spices, light wood, licorice, earth, peppercorn, tobacco, coffee, and dark chocolates.

Spicy finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a nice red blend from California. This 6 year old is drinking very nicely now, especially with food. Very spicy, Interesting and pleasant.

Showing good acidity, that pairs nicely with food. The zinfandel and Syrah give it that spiciness, and the Merlot gives it that tangy finish, a very nice combination, especially with the grilled Meats.

I paired it with BBQ lamb chops.

A blend of 42% Merlot, 46% Syrah and 12% Zinfandel. Only 92 cases produced.

15% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$28.

Oakwild Ranch Winery Perli Vineyard Gianna Zinfandel 2014, Mendocino Ridge, California

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Fruity nose of black currants, black cherries, blueberries, wood, earth, licorice, vanilla, chocolates, coffee and peppercorn.

Medium plus in body and smooth, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, vanilla, licorice, spices, coke, tobacco, chocolates and black pepper.

Tangy finish with fine tannins and tangy cranberries.

This 6 year old Zinfandel is drinking very nicely now. Tasty with mild complexity and a nice mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle and better after 30 minutes of airtime.

This Single Vineyard is peaking now, and will be nice in the next couple of years.

Has high alcohol, but it is nicely integrated by now. Tangy and easy drinking. Interesting and enjoyable.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with a prime rib sandwich, with au jus dressing.

15.5% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$28.

Oakwild Ranch Winery Mendocino Ridge Jacqueline Field Blend 2014, California

Deep purple in color with a reddish rim.

Fruity nose of black plums, cooked cherries, strawberries, light oak, pencil shavings, light alcohol, dark coffee, spices and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with black cherries, strawberries, red currants, pomegranates, oak, tobacco, earth, light vegetables, herbs, spices, light cola, peppercorn, leather and dark chocolates.

Medium plus on the finish with soft tannins and tangy pomegranates.

This is a tasty and easy drinking red blend from Mendocino County in California. Nice, spicy and engaging with a nice mouthfeel.

This 6 year old is drinking very nicely now all by itself. Tangy and interesting.

This Single Vineyard is good right out of the bottle and better after 30 minutes of airtime. After 2 hours, it really hits home, when some earth notes come in and bring more complexity, so be patient.

At this point, the high alcohol is not very noticeable.

I had it blind ( I knew it is from California) and called a Merlot, Syrah and Zinfandel blend. Pretty happy with that. Although there is a bigger portion of Syrah in this blend, it definitely feels like the Merlot is taking over.

A blend of 42% Merlot, 12% Zinfandel and 46% Syrah. A very small production of only 92 cases. Handpicked.

15% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$28.

Smith Devereux Winery No. 3 Red Wine 2017, California

This is a simple red blend from California. Showing black fruits with tobacco, toasted oak, vanilla, chocolates and coffee.

Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

A nice everyday red. Good by itself or with food and good right out of the bottle. A good party wine.

Might benefit from a year in the bottle to calm down a little.

The problem is that I drank like 4 glasses, and didn’t even notice it, so watch out. 😃

I paired it with cheeses, olives and crackers.

A blend of Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Zinfandel. Aged for 6 months in French oak barrels.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

87 Points.

$20.