Merlot, Glen Ellen House
Wine Wednesday!
Glen Ellen House~ Concannon~Glen Ellen Reserve
Merlot 2011, California
The label reads “Medium bodied Merlot with fruit flavors of cherry and plum”
When I take a whiff of this Merlot I smell raspberries. The kind waiting to be eaten all up. This is a surprise because it is not a fruit wine. It is a Merlot grape. Merlot’s, I typically find to smell deeply of barrel aged grapes, they smell strong and daring not always so inviting. Next I take a sip and my taste buds do a little jig for at first there is the Merlot I know and love that robust “I’m wine, like me or leave me,” taste. Then it is followed by a happy finish. It’s sweet!? I have never had a sweet Merlot before. There is a cherry flavor just as the label descriptions says, a dark cherry. This would go perfectly with dark chocolate.
This is not a blend, but I recommend it to those who tend to like red wine blends. If you like sweet wines I encourage you to try this, however it is not a super sweet wine. It could be more classified as a semi-sweet wine. If you are a Merlot lover, sip with caution. It is not anything like a typical Merlot. Concannon’s Glen Ellen Reserve I found to be delightful and easy to drink and will likely purchase it again.
Wine Wednesdays
To kick off Wine Wednesdays I would like to share my history with wine. At the ripe age of 21, I fancied visiting wineries here in the Central Virginia area. If you don’t already know, there are many. You can hardly leave one before stumbling upon another. The rich Virginia soil and the humid climate makes for growing some of the best grapes in the world. (Virginia Wine Lovers Magazine’s words not mine alone.) Unfortunately I am not forever 21 but I hope I am something like wine and get better with age. Over these last few years I have tasted wine at 30 plus wineries in Virginia, North Carolina, and Michigan. Wine festivals are my ideal kind, where I can explore familiar favorites along with new varietals. While in Serbia this fall I attended the Grozdjebal 2013 (Grape Festival) and had the opportunity to try many wines from native Serbia, Croatia and Germany. That being said, I’d like to think I’m on my way to becoming a wine connoisseur. If you have a passion for wine keep visiting on Wednesdays for a wine tasting review. And who knows maybe there is a book about wine in the future?
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