Confessions of a Wine Shop Girl

So maybe it's not fashionable to be in love with a Merlot, but this 2007 Markaham Merlot is 

is truly striking.

This lush cherry treat has plenty of backbone and tannin to keep it interesting.

After cherry, the nose is  cola, root beer, vanilla all very balanced and silky smooth 

The wine is a deep garnet color, good body with a velvety 

smoothness. 

On tasting, the cherry is immediate, but balanced with a nice acidic clarity. It  immediately smoothes itself out and rolls around the palate, fruity and tasting of berries, with a smoky lingering mouthfeel that leaves you eager for another sip.

After a few minutes of breathing, the nose is  is reminiscent of old leather and blackberries.

Really nice wine, and a great example of what Merlot can be 

with a little backbone and structure.

I've wanted to try Markham Merlot ever since I read a stellar review in of the 1994  Markham Merlot in a 1995 Wine Spectator but could never find it at any of my local wine merchants or even when I went to Napa in 2004.

I finally got a chance to see what Markham has been up to tonight, and am thrilled with the 2007.

All those people who saw the movie Sideways and gave up on Merlot are missing out.
This is a delicious and truly enjoyable wine.

Wine reviews from the front lines

Wine: the great frontier.

I plan to go where no wine clerk has gone before (at least that I can find on the internet) and blog about the wines I taste at the store, special industry wine events, and the wines I bring home to try.

Too often, I buy a wine and can't find any "real" reviews on it, so I'm going to make tasting notes and wine reviews of my own for each wine I try. Here we go...

The Wolftrap: 2010

A South African blend of Syrah, Mouvedre and Viognier: three grapes I like individually and especially blended. This wine has that South African earthy, barnyard spice I love so much.

For $9.99, this is my default take home wine: I like everything about it. It has a black pepper finish, and all the spice and fruit upfront make me think of camping in the woods and eating food that's been cooked on a fire.

A little pepper and coffee on the mid-palate and a nice earthy tannin that keeps the structure pleasantly tight for an inexpensive and versatile red.