Tasting - Apothic Merlot

Name: Apothic Merlot

Variety: Merlot

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 2019

Price: $11.99

Winery review: Winemaker notes, "The 2019 Apothic Merlot reveals depths of black cherry, boysenberry and wild blueberries with subtle hints of vanilla and coconut. To add dimension to the wine, we added a touch of a unique grape called Teroldego, which marries well with the Merlot to create plush tannins and a long, lasting finish. Most of the fruit for this Merlot was sourced from Lodi, with some originating from a vineyard near Brentwood. We selected Merlot grapes for their dark fruit intensity and generous tannins to create a velvety mouthfeel. Portions of this wine were oak-aged for 3-4 months to preserve elegant fruit characteristics." https://www.wine.com/product/apothic-merlot-2019/764357#closePromoModal

Wine Folly: pg.131 general Merlot- The first fruit listed in Wine Folly is cherry. I did not pick up on that, but I definitely tasted plum. The book also lists notes of chocolate and dried herbs, but I did not pick up them. I did however get notes of vanilla and oak. I also tasted blueberry and boysenberry.

My Review: The bold, smooth wine was excellent! It had been aged a few years which I think helped the flavors come out even more. It was not dry or sweet. It was very nicely balanced in between. I enjoyed drinking this wine with beef wrapped in bacon! The boldness balanced the red meat very well. I really recommend this wine to enthusiastic red wine drinkers!