2015 Pepper Bridge Walla Walla Merlot

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around my house!  We had a bunch of snow today, so to avoid cutting down my Christmas trees in the snow, I went out yesterday afternoon to get them.  And in typical Clark W. Griswold fashion, I probably went a little overboard on the family room tree as it really fills the space!  In any case, you can get a sense of the holiday cheer in the photo below (and yes, that is an official Christmas Story leg lamp in the background!).  I also confess I'm apparently on a bit of a Merlot kick, but to be fair, wineries keep sending me Merlot in wine club shipments so I can't really help it!  In any case, tonight I've opened a bottle from the latest wine club shipment from Pepper Bridge Winery, the 2015 Walla Walla Merlot, which is a blend of Merlot (78%), Cabernet Franc (15%) and Malbec (7%) from the Seven Hills, Pepper Bridge and Octave Vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley. 

The wine is a deep inky color in the glass, just what you'd expect from a nice Merlot.  The aromas of leather, black cherry, and tea leaf abound on this wine from a very warm vintage (based on my discussions with a lot of Walla Walla folks, the 2015 vintage will likely be much more fruit concentrated and likely better for early drinking rather than cellaring).  The taste is a fantastic rush of ripe black fruit, cherry, plum and layers of fig that yield to notes of black pepper and fennel.  The tannins are lush, supporting the warm, dry and voluptuous finish. 

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's just a lovely Merlot that's versatile and food friendly.  This is a wine that just speaks to the upcoming holidays, and I could easily see this wine pairing with anything from fire glazed ham to turkey with cranberries, to dark chocolate and peppermint bark.  Tonight I am relaxing after decorating (more to finish tomorrow!) and enjoying this wine with a dinner of pan seared sea scallops on a bed of baby arugula with pesto penne.  Cheers!