Tasting: Ramsay Merlot

 

Name: Ramsay Merlot 'North Coast'

Variety: 92% Merlot, 6% Petite Sirah, 2% Zinfandel

Region: North Coast, California

Country: USA

Year: 2020

Price: $19

Shop Review: This wine has a bright black cherry note along with substantial cassis characteristics. In addition there is a ripe plum side from the Petite Verdot. Mouth – Lots of dark fruit and a wonderful countercurrent full of the bright nuances of plum, herb, sage, dill, and cassis. Well-balanced in the mouth with pleasant tannins and good acidity. Vivino (https://www.vivino.com/US/en/us-ramsay-merlot/w/2395875)

Wine Folly: Pg. 413 Merlot - A black cherry flavor is mentioned, but I got more of a blackberry flavor. However, there was a smoky finish and I could absolutely taste the vanilla mentioned as well. Merlot is supposed to have low acidity, but I thought this wine had an acidic taste and smell. This may be because I did not decant it for 30 minutes before drinking. 

My Review: An interesting wine to start off with! Great fruity flavor and I loved the vanilla aftertaste. There were two things I wasn't a huge fan of. The oak and smoky flavor made the wine seem more dry than it really was and there was a little spice to it (maybe black pepper). Overall, I enjoyed it!

I did not taste this wine with food.

My Personal Experience with Wine Thus Far

Welcome to my wine blog! I feel that I have an interest and liking to wine unlike others my age (22). I mostly drink wine when I am at home and at dinner with family and friends. We go out to dinner almost every weekend, so there have been many instances where I have tried wine. When looking at menus in restaurants or down the aisle of a liquor store, I have found myself thinking "What makes this wine different from this one?" and "How do I know if I'll like this wine more than this one?" After some trial and error, I have found a few wines that I really like (like this Spanish red wine below), but I feel that I am limiting myself and need to branch out more.

What am I limiting myself to? I have grown to gravitate towards two varieties in particular: pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon. For more context, I tend to drink whatever pinot noir is offered by the glass at steakhouses because I have found I really enjoy it with a nice New York Strip. However, when I am not eating a steak, I tend to look in the cabernet sauvignon section of the wine list. I found what I like and I stick to it. It is rare that I buy a bottle from the liquor store, but I have a feeling that will change in the future. 

I would also like to become more knowledgeable about the subject of wine and learn to like other varieties. I think this course is a great opportunity to do both of these things. I plan on really diving into the lectures and learning as much as I can from those, but I also plan on doing a good amount of the wine tastings and the winery visit to really learn about each wine. I want to learn what makes them taste different, the process of making the wines, and which other wines I may like. What is a better way to do that than trying as much wine as I can? 

(Here's a picture of myself for grading)