Synopsis, Our Opinion: A not bad “week night” wine with hamburgers off the grill.
Producer/Winery: Robert Mondavi Winery; Oakville, California.
Grape Variety: Merlot (98% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc).
Geographic Appellation: Napa Valley, California.
Vintage: 2014
Price: $15.99 (with a 30% mixed 6-pack discount)
Purchased From: Ralphs Grocery Store; Agoura Hills, California.
Paired With: Hot dogs and hamburgers off the grill.
Tasting:
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Opened 45-minutes before drinking. Clear purple/garnet color with exactly the same color rim. Ripe plum and cherry aromas with hints of wet wood. Medium body, dry with an an 80-grit texture. Lots of dusty dry fruit taste, structured tannins and an always present back-of-the-throat scratch from the alcohol. Nice medium-long finish that was full of fruit spicy pepper and a fleeting glance of tar at the end. A little rustic for a Merlot and not quite as smooth and easy drinking as expected, but overall at this price point it turned turned out to be a not bad “week night” wine with hamburgers off the grill. If we bought another bottle we would open it way before drinking or decant it to eliminate some of the distracting alcohol.
Note: This is the second review we posted for this Merlot because it went from being a wine we didn’t recommend to one we did recommend; both were at the same price point. Read our Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Merlot 2012 review and see how differently they tasted.
Photo from Robert Mondavi Winery.
Alcohol Content: 15%
Closure: Natural cork.
UPC Code: 0 86003 12189 8
Imported by: NA