Full Review

Greyscale

Greyscale
2019 Merlot, Oak Knoll District, Napa Valley

Pair this wine with:
Beef Cheese Pasta Pork

Category: Merlot

Date Tasted:
Country: USA
Alcohol: 14.5%
93 Points
Gold Medal
Exceptional
$48

Greyscale
2019 Merlot, Oak Knoll District, Napa Valley

Pair this wine with:
Beef Cheese Pasta Pork

Category: Merlot

Date Tasted:
Country: USA
Alcohol: 14.5%
Dusty garnet color. Aromas and flavors of vanilla, caramel mocha frappachino, black currant, black cherry, and blackberry, and fig and sweet tobacco with a round, crisp, bone-dry medium body and a tingling, intricate, medium-length finish that shows impressions of raspberry preserves, chocolate covered acai and pomegranate, fruit leather, and black tea with well-integrated tannins and light oak flavor. A well made, layered, expressive Merlot that will benefit from some air.

Tasting Info

Wine Glass Style: Crisp & Lively
Aroma Aroma: vanilla, caramel mocha frappachino, black currant, black cherry, and blackberry, and fig and sweet tobacco
Taste Flavor: Same as aromas with impressions of raspberry preserves, chocolate covered acai and pomegranate, fruit leather, and black tea
Sweetness Sweetness: Bone-Dry
Enjoy Enjoy: Now-3 years on its own and with food
Recipes Pairing: Baked Ham, Meat Loaf, Lasagna
Bottom Line Bottom Line: A well made, layered, expressive Merlot that will benefit from some air.

The Producer

Greyscale Wines

The Producer
PO Box 213
Orinda, CA 94563
USA
1 925-255-5187

Merlot

Wine Glass Cabernet.jpg
Serve in a Cabernet Wine Glass
Merlot is a red variety that is loved by consumers, yet often shunned by certain wine gurus and critics, as they perceive these wines as “little sisters” to the more powerful Cabernet Sauvignon. Yet on its own, the best examples of Merlot are multi-layered, complex wines that are among the finest in the world.

Merlot has many similar flavors to Cabernet Sauvignon, especially with its cherry and plum fruit, but is has fewer, less sharp tannins than Cabernet Sauvignon. Many producers whether in Bordeaux, America, Chile or elsewhere, often blend small percentages of Merlot into Cabernet Sauvignon to lessen the tannic bitterness of the latter.

A few districts in France’s Bordeaux region, namely Pomerol, are home to the greatest examples of Merlot. Chateau Petrus is the world’s most famous example of Merlot, a powerful wine that ages beautifully for 30 or 40 years in the best vintages. There are also celebrated examples from American, especially in Washington’s Walla Walla valley as well as in Napa Valley in California. Merlot is also very successful in Chile, New Zealand and even in certain part of Italy.

Merlot pairs best with foods such as lamb or veal, but it also sought out by consumers to accompany steaks and roast when they want a rounder, more elegant red wine.