Napa Valley, California
13.8 % Alcohol
Tasted 2014-05-16
Cherry red with some garnet red tones. At the beginning wet foliage and forest floor aromas dominate. Later more and more plum butter, ripe black berries and walnuts become present. On the palate the berries are dominating. Medium long finish. In total very pleasant and a very good example of how good a mature California merlot can be.
This wine is perhaps a little bit over the top but still very, very good. I'm quite sure it will hold this quality for another two years.
I paired the wine with a classic, not so spicy US burger. I prepared the burger as a variant with Comté and Tyrol streaky bacon which is a little bit "smoother" than the original one. The wine harmonized wonderfully with the very smooth smoke aromas of the bacon which surprisingly brought the fruit aromas more into the foreground. A knockout. Together with the food the Duckhorn Merlot offered its real strength. So together with this dish 90/100.
Saturday, May 17. 2014
1996 Duckhorn Vineyards Napa Valley Merlot (89/100)
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