Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells Columbia Valley Merlot 2016

Synopsis, Our Opinion: A VERY EXCELLENT value grocery store Merlot.

Producer/Winery: Chateau Ste Michelle; Paterson, Washington.

Grape Variety: Merlot Blend – 84% Merlot and 16% Syrah.

Geographic Appellation,, Region, Country: Coumbia Valley, Washington.

Vintage: 2016

Price: $11.99 (with a mixed 6-pack discount)

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

Paired With: Baked Reuben sandwich and “Wood Ranch” peanut slaw.

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 our grocery store wine reviews look under the keyword “Grocery Store Wines”.

Opened one hour before drinking. Opaque, inky dark garnet color with a light, slightly purple color rim. Rich plum and cherry aromas with smoke in the background. Silky smooth, very approachable, with a filling and dusty mouthfeel, solid medium to full body and a 400-grit texture. Lots of fresh dark fruit flavors that were dominated be ripe plum. Enticing crispness in the acidity, well integrated fine grained tannins that show plenty of grip in the long dusty fruit finish. WOW, this was a step up from the 2015 Chateau Sta Michelle California Merlot…it was less sweet, had lots of layered fruit tastes and soft tannins that were noteworthy when they came alive in the spicy finish. We thought this was one of the best grocery store wines we’ve had while doing the grocery store reviews this year. The grapes had seen LOTS of sunshine and the wine was still sweeter than we like, but everything else was “true” Merlot and in the end we called it a VERY GOOD value grocery store Merlot that gets a TastedOnline.com Quality Wine at a Bargain price rating.