VINEgeek

I was in Spec’s the other day with no real direction to my shopping, just browsing around. I saw the Merlot section and thought “why not?”  I rarely buy Merlot, but I was feeling a bit guilty for not being more open-minded. I saw this bottle with a healthy dollop of Cabernet Franc (and a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon) and from Russian River Valley, which has a generally cooler climate than many places Merlot is grown in California and is known for Pinot Noir and elegant Zinfandels. I’ve visited the Russian River Valley 2 or 3 times and I’ve had Foppiano on my list of places to stop because of their reputation for Petite Sirah, but I never managed to make it there. So I thought I’d give this bottle a shot. Let’s check it out.

Producer: Foppiano

Grapes: 87% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon

Appellation: Russian River Valley AVA (California)

Vineyards: Estate vineyards on benchland.

Winemaking/aging: no info

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price: $12

My tasting notes: This wine offers dusty red & black fruit on the nose with some green vegetal notes from the Cabernet Franc. On the palate, it’s all cherries and a bit of vanilla. Finishes very dry.

Overall impression: The Cab and Cab Franc provide some backbone to this pleasant, but unexciting Merlot. It’s fine but not something I’d seek out again (though I still want to try some of the Petite Sirah). C

Free association:

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/djbadly/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

More info:

Wine Enthusiast scored this wine an 83.

Wannabe Wino mentions this bottle in a report on her visit to the winery.