Gorgeous label! Fine detailing! Organically grown grapes! No sulfites detectable! (for those who poo-poo sulfites) Vegan friendly! USDA ORGANIC labeling certification! Then why did this wine leave me disappointed? Just not my "glass of wine". Dear sweet Lola, who is the daughter to me I never had, brought this for us to share a glass on my birthday. I have over the last 10 years adopted her, Nate her husband and their 3 beautiful children into my life and they have been more than family to me they have been great friends. At 32 years of age they are so mature for their age, but perhaps you would call them an "old soul". So Sunday after a long day of breakfast being cooked & served to me (& gifts showered upon me), going to my sons in the afternoon & having him cook for me a superb luncheon ( in his card he wrote "to the most beautiful Mom in the world" ) & taking me to visit an ill friend, another friend bringing me gorgeous yellow tulips wrapped in red tissue, then finally arriving home and Lola bringing presents "galore", a snack of cheese, humus, salami & crackers along with 2 great deserts it was indeed a wonderful birthday which is still not over yet! I have 2 more lunch dates with girlfriends to celebrate some more this week and a dinner with Gaynor perhaps one evening if the week does not go too quickly! Or if I do not run out of energy! God certainly has been good to me this birthday of 2011! I have the best son & the best friends in the whole universe! Thanks everyone for letting me know just how special I am to all of you!
So now to the reason I write this blog......WINE! I got 2 glasses out to pour us a glass of the Orlean' Hill Merlot. I will give you my honest opinion...mine may not be yours....so please remember this as reading. In the glass it had lovely dark maroon coloring, smell was pleasing, it went down smoothly...but....upon finishing the sip it was the most powerful peppery taste in a wine I have ever had on my palate. After a few sips and your palate was conditioned to this it was drinkable, this is not a bad wine, just one too powerfully peppery for my taste. The label sure was pretty though. Almost like a very handsome man you may see and be attractive to and then once you get to know his heart you have no desire to be near him again. Or a pretty lady who is mean and hateful on the inside or in fact bitchy all the time. These leave a bad impression on you. So now I will tell you how they describe this wine themselves and perhaps you may want to get a bottle & try for yourselves. A blend of about half Santa Maria Merlot with Mendocino Merlot and Cabernet, this wine has the richest feel of any Orleans Hill wine. Santa Maria brings the power and Mendocino the style. A bit of french oak exposure rounds out the mouth and feel-- again styling a wine that should please the multitude of Merlot drinkers looking for a bolder medium bodied red with pleasant cherry fruit notes covering the whole palate
California, Sulfite Free, Organic (a copy)
Perhaps is was the "wooden, oaken" taste in my mouth I did not like....I suppose that could be better than a bad vinegar taste in a bad wine. This was not a "bad" wine...just not one I enjoy...nor did Lola. But...that is what wine exploring (tasting) is all about, finding the differences in all sorts of wines and being able to recognize more and more what your palate chooses. Once again I will say...just like picking a mate or date! Pay attention, learn and then enjoy!
I am now a year older. Will I be a year wiser? I do know as I age I enjoy reflecting back on what I have learned and accomplished. Then I look forward...but not too far forward because I do not want to miss today!
SALUTE! till tomorrow!
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