Recently my husband and I attended a Merryvale wine tasting at one of our favorite wine stores; WineTastics. This particular wine tasting was unusual because we are members of the Merryvale wine club and have many bottles of their fantastic wine in our cellar. However, due to the exceptional quality of Merryvale wine we have decided to age the bottles we have for a few years; therefore, we attended the wine tasting to actually get to drink Merryvale wine! Merryvale’s portfolio of wine is incredible and the tasting did not disappoint. The bottle my husband chose to purchase at the wine tasting was a bottle of the Merryvale 2010 Merlot because he “wanted to drink it.” Since we attended the tasting a few weeks before Father’s Day it seemed appropriate to cook him a delicious Father’s Day dinner and serve the Merlot.

Merryvale 2010 Merlot: The Merryvale 2010 Merlot was a beautifully inviting deep maroon that enveloped the nose in dark fruits, spice and espresso. On the palate this wine coated the mouth in flavors of dark cherry, blackberry, plums and currants; followed by pepper, baking spice, dark chocolate, espresso and toasted oak. It was a rich wine that after decanting for an hour delivered a full body with medium tannins and medium to medium-high acidity. We paired the Merryvale 2010 Merlot with grilled fillets I had marinated in Theo’s Steakhouse from Whole Foods, organic Japanese sweet potatoes, and salad comprised of wild field greens, purple onions, crumbled goat cheese, kalamata olives, chopped walnuts and strawberries mixed with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. It was a delicious meal that worked beautifully with the deep, full body Merlot. For dessert we paired the Merlot with my husband’s favorite two pies: cherry and blueberry topped with Whole Foods organic vanilla bean ice cream. Due to the depth of fruit in the Merlot it was a delicious accompaniment to the dessert.  Needless to say, Father’s Day was pretty great for me as well as my husband! Other food pairing for the Merryvale 2010 Merlot include lasagna, gorgonzola stuffed beef burgers, Thai beef with peppers and basil. I highly recommend you buy at least three bottles of the Merryvale 2010 Merlot: 1 to drink now, and 2 to cellar for the future with friends. This wine drinks well 2014-2020.

The Merryvale 2010 Merlot blended 77% Merlot with 17% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Malbec. That combination was what provided great depth and body to the wine! The grapes were sourced from the cooler, southern part of Merryvale’s Napa Valley vineyards (Farella, Hyde, Kenefick, Stagecoach), the fruit was hand-picked and triple-sorted before undergoing an extended cold soak, with 3 weeks on the skins. After primary fermentation and native malolactic fermentation, the wine was aged for 22 months in French oak (50% new) and minimally racked before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. Utilizing native malolactic fermentation takes a great amount of skill and precision from the winemaker; when done correctly the results are excellent, as is evident in the Merryvale 2010 Merlot. SRP is $48.00 and contains 15% alcohol. I encourage you to visit Merryvale’s web site to see their entire portfolio of wine and order the 2010 Merlot. To find the Merryvale 2010 Merlot near you click here.

My Song Selection: The song I chose to pair with the Merryvale 2010 Merlot is History Repeating by Propellerheads featuring the great Shirley Bassey. The Propellerheads took a classic song and gave it a fresh beat, making it modern and sexy. Merlot came under fire due to its representation in the movie Sideways and over production which resulted in poor quality. The Merryvale 2010 Merlot was not one of those wines; it was outstanding and will convert any anti-Merlotite into a lover of high quality Napa Valley Merlot. Merryvale (as well as a few others) have put the grape back on the map with a wine that has depth, is sultry and very pleasing to the palate! I did not choose this song for the title; rather because the Merryvale 2010 Merlot was the opposite of title, it redefines past beliefs about merlot; like the Propellerheads taking something old and making it fresh and vibrant, just like the final words of the video explain, “well what can I say, it’s different!” Therefore, I challenge all you merlot naysayers to try this wine and taste how good merlot can be when it is crafted with exceptional winemaking skills!

Get your own bottle of Merryvale 2010 Merlot and let me know what song you would pair with it. Cheers!