2017 Three Palms Vineyard

I should start by admitting that the Coravin from Christmas a few years ago was broken in tonight. It wasn’t as hard to use as I had thought and now I am a big fan. Such a great way to enjoy a glass of wine and then move on.

My love of Merlot dates back to the early 2000’s when I found a reserve Merlot created by Richard Arrowood. What a find! Since then this is a varietal I like to buy and have on hand.

So for the tasting today I’m going to warn you that I am not trained in wine tasting. I have taken a wine judging class at SRJC and have done my fair share of making the rounds in Napa, Sonoma, Oregon and Washington, Italy, France and Spain (rookie with European wines) and know what I like. For me it is that first sip that grabs your attention and then you think you know how things will turn out. I must say the Coravin has a bit of a drawback in that there is limited aeration as opposed to a decanter or aerators or even just pouring a glass of wine from an open bottle but giving the glass a swirl several times does help.

Describing this Merlot I would say it is a “Big Boy” very full bodied, dark fruit, dark chocolate and really rich. I cannot wait til the summer when we open all the bottles from this project with my meeting and event planner friends and see how it opens up. Until then…….from Wine Country, thanks for all your support.

Rose