William Hill Central Coast 2017 Merlot

Synopsis, Our Opinion: A $10 juicy California Merlot.

Producer/Winery: William Hill Estate; Healdsburg and San Miguel, California.

Grape Variety: Merlot.

Geographic Appellation,, Region, Country: Central Coast, California.

Vintage: 2017

Price: $10.99 (with a 30% mixed 6-pack discount)

Purchased From: Ralph’s Grocery Store; Agoura Hills, California.

Paired With: Leftover turkey dinner.

Tasting:

Note: This year while in California we are reviewing a substantial number of wines sold in grocery stores. This review is one of them. To see all of the grocery store wine reviews look under the keyword “Grocery Store Wines”.

Opened one hour before drinking. Opaque, inky dark garnet color with a light purple rim. Thin dusty old wood and sweet spice aromas. Slightly rough, off-dry mouthfeel with a little back-of-the-throat raspy alcohol, solid medium body and a 80-grit texture. Lots of plum, raspberry and blackberry juicy fruit flavors, edgy acidity, small hints of tannins and a quite powerful fruit finish that ends with a slightly bitter aftertaste. The abundance of sweet juicy fruit tastes really describe this wines character. Not a Merlot to write home about, but good for what it was and for $10.99 it was an OK value. This was a wine we wouldn’t rush out to buy another bottle and called it a $10 juicy California Merlot.

Just an afterthought…We reviewed the William Hill Estates 2012 Merlot in February 2016 and although the wine was similar we both thought the 2017 was more dominated by sweetness, darker in color and possibly more like a generic red California wine than a Merlot.