Wine: 2018 Merlot (Lodi, CA)
Winery: American Vintners
Cheese: Jarlsberg
Day 16’s wine is American Vintner’s 2018 Merlot. This deep, purple wine has a nice nose. Aromas of plum, dark cherry and spice (clove) titillate the senses, with the clove providing a nice undertone promising a bit of weight. Many Merlots are soft-bodied and easy drinking. This Merlot has a bit of heft. It’s not a Cabernet Sauvignon, but the wine has more of a medium body and the tannins are a bit grippy on the palate. Nonetheless the wine has a good intensity of fruit, with flavors of plum, dark cherry, blackberry and currant preceding the vanilla. The finish is medium, though it is overpowered a bit by the tannins. Overall to me this is a heartier Merlot than many of the others, but I liked it all the same. I gave it a 3.75 out of 4 (A-)
I paired it with the Jarlsberg and it was OK, but the tasting notes recommended blue cheese – my favorite – for a cheese pairing. So I tried with some Glacier Wildfire Blue Cheese I had in the refrigerator. The cheese had heat to it, being a spicy blue but it wasn’t too hot to affect the flavor of the wine and it came through pretty well.
Ed's Wineglass Adventures 