This months Virginia Wine of the Month club selection is from Prince Michel Vineyard and Winery. The wine is the Old Town Alexandria Vintner's Reserve Merlot.
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Old Town Alexandria - Merlot
This is the fourth shipment since my wife signed me up for the Virginia Wine of the Month Club for Fathers Day this year. The first 3 selections were from wineries in Northern Virginia and just a little to far to pop over and say hello. Prince Michel on the other hand is just up the road about 35 minutes north of Charlottesville on Route 29. Plus they now have a tasting room right in Charlottesville on Carters Mountain.
Oh by the way here is my disclaimer. I am not paid by nor do I receive free samples (not that they would be refused) from any of the wineries that I may mention. Also, I am not a wine expert, but I like to pretend I am on the weekends. I am a big believer in buying local and in Virginia if at all possible. Now that I have that out of the way let's get on with it.
Each month I have tried to be as objective as possible about the wine that I am tasting. First off I inform the reader of what the real wine experts say and then I take a laymans approach and relate what I taste. Everyones taste is different and what I like may be way off the mark of what you like.
Here is what the professionals say about this Merlot. My comments are in parenthesis.
"Aged fifteen months in 85% French oak with the balance in a mix of Virginia and Pennsylvania oak, ( I am not sure about this, but I believe it means 15% of the wine you are drinking was not aged in French oak It is mixed together with the Virginia & Pennsylvania oak.) the color fills the glass from rim to rim (meaning it doesn't get lighter toward the edge of the glass?) with small tell tale legs along the sides (legs I believe are the little rivulets that run down the side of the glass when you tilt it and then bring it back to a level position). The nose is filled with black cherry undertones and a hint of dark baking chocolate."
"The attack is subtle featuring plum and licorice. The expansive mid-palate provides foreshadowing to the well rounded tannic finish that includes anise and a touch of tobacco."
As stated earlier I am not a wine expert, but I enjoy a good wine as well as the next person. So let me tell you in my own words what I thought. Again this is just my opinion and after you taste this wine your thoughts may be at odds with mine.
First, being aged in French Oak must be important or it would not have been mentioned. As for me tasting the difference between French, Virginia or Pennsylvania oak is way beyond my pay grade. I would think that having it aged in VIRGINIA oak would be a selling point for things made in Virginia. How much this improves the flavor is something I still need to learn.
The professional and I are in agreement on the color. It was the appropriate color and did not fade close to the side of the glass. By the way if you pour a wine into your glass and it has sort of a brown tinge to it you most likely will not like it.
Now for the legs..... Try as I might I could not get legs to appear on the side of my glass with this sampling. However, this may be due to the type of dishwashing detergent that my wife uses or the cheap glasses that I buy. I have a tendency to break my fair share so my sweet wife keeps the fine crystal out of my reach..
The "nose" or fragrance did have a hint of cherry however, the dark chocolate eluded me. I have noticed though that a lot of wines are noted as having a "dark cherry" in the "nose".
My favorite part is next. The tasting. Again having an uneducated palate (for now) the licorice flavor was lost on me. I did pick up on the plum however not the anise or tobacco (thank goodness).
Overall this Michel Merlot was pleasing to my taste buds, but it was not as bold as I had expected it to be. I guess my mid-palate likes a little stronger "attack".
Food recommendations by the professional stated this wine would pare well with roasted beef, Italian pasta dishes "with a tomato sauce" or hearty cheese. My choice was pizza and found that it did the job.
If you have tried this wine or would like to recommend another please let me hear from you. So until next month always remember you can't go wrong by drinking what you like. Have fun with it, and drink Virginia Wines.
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