2012 Twenty Rows Napa Valley Merlot

Happy Hump Day on this holiday shortened week!  Tonight I had to work late, so I'm just getting around to opening a bottle of wine, and tonight it's the 2012 Twenty Rows Napa Valley Merlot, a blend of Merlot (90%) with a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon (5%) and Cabernet Franc (5%) to take the edge off.  I actually picked this bottle up at a local Italian restaurant that was changing up their wine list and all the old wines had to go at just $20 a bottle!  Well, you know how much I love me some Merlot so let's see what this one has to offer!

The wine is a deep, inky purple at the center with a bit of garnet along the edges,  The nose presents wonderful aromas of green cedar, mocha and black currant, perfect for a classic Merlot.  The taste was wonderful, with a blast of ripe berries and cherry cola at the outset that transitioned nicely to some mineral notes and warm spice.  The tannins are somewhat soft but nicely integrated for the long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's drinking very nicely right now and was a solid bargain at just $20!  This would be an ideal steak wine, which ironically enough it my humpday dinner, as I'm enjoying this wine with a rare grilled prime petit filet mignon with a baked potato and grilled asparagus.  Cheers!