I decided to start my drinking pretty early in the day this Saturday. I was getting ready for the Engineer's Ball with my friend, and we decided to open this lovely bottle of red wine from Robert Mondavi Private Selection. It was a rum barrel aged Merlot from California, the 2019 vintage. A Merlot is made from Merlot grapes, which are very commonly grown around the world.
The description I got of this bottle online suggests that it has rather dark fruit flavors, with some sugarcane, molasses, and chocolate from its time in the rum barrels. The bottle only cost $14 and had an alcohol content of 14.5% ABV. It was a deep purple and absolutely full bodied.
The aroma was very fragrant. After a quick aeration, I noticed the scent of ripe, dark tart fruits such as blackberry. I also detected some spice in addition to the obvious smell of the alcohol. The actual taste was very lush, fruity, and thick. I love a good jammy wine, and this was definitely that. I did notice the blueberry and raspberry taste, but what was unexpected was the subtle hints of chocolate and cinnamon.
From page 131 of Wine Folly, typical tasting notes of this grape variety include cherry, plum, chocolate, dried herbs, and vanilla. It is surprising to me that although the wine was aged in rum barrels, that the vanilla flavor was not there. I would absolutely buy this bottle again; it would be delicious with something grilled like a steak.
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