2013 DaMa Walla Walla Valley Merlot

Happy Saturday!  I hope it's been a pleasant one for you, I was at a conference today and now I'm home and ready to relax with a nice dinner.  For wine, I've decided to open a bottle of a recent wine club shipment from Walla Walla that arrived last week, the 2013 DaMa Walla Walla Valley Merlot! This wine is 100% Merlot from the Golden Ridge Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley.  It turned cooler here recently, so perfect weather for a nice Merlot, and you know how I love me some Merlot!

The wine is a wonderful bright ruby color with great clarity, reminiscent of some great old world Merlot.  The nose is a great combination of green grass and ripe black fruit, for a perfect springtime red wine.  The taste is quite nice, with some nice blackberry and raspberry flavors up front that transitions to some lovely green spice notes of tarragon midpalate (if only I'd made some Bearnaise for my steak tonight!).  The tannins are still pretty tight, but the finish is long and very dry, with a bit of crispness at the end, an ideal spring Merlot!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's just a lovely and refreshingly different Merlot.  This wine would be great with a variety of meat and pasta dishes, but tonight I'm enjoying this with a rare grilled New York strip along with grilled purple carrots and leeks and a baked potato with sour cream and chives.  Cheers!