Russian River Vineyards Estate Merlot 2009

When we were wine tasting in Sonoma last year, I had a coupon for a free tasting at Russian River Vineyards. It was down the road from another we wanted to go to, but I didn't know anything about it before going there. It turned out that they were basically pinot noir specialists, with several very good ones, but they were a little above our price range. Then they also had this merlot that surprised us with both how good it was, and how inexpensive (at least compared to their other wines), I think it was around $25.

We often find merlot kind of boring. Not really anything wrong with it, just sort of cabernet sauvignon's less interesting sibling. But this one is pretty good. A nice nose with berries, leather, vanilla, and something that just makes me think "warmth".  The first taste is a blast of sweet strawberries, but then that fades to a spicy orangy taste. It's a little acidic in the back.  It felt a little tamer as we worked our way through the bottle.

This sort of wine is one that really illustrates to me that you don't know if you'll like something until you try it, and if you go to wineries for tastings, get as many things as you can (don't be afraid to pour out the rest of your glass, especially if you don't care for something) so you are more likely to find one that suits your taste and your wallet. Sonoma isn't really known for merlot (or even cabernet) but I'm happy to drink ones I like from wherever they may come.