SubscribeI’m not sure how I’m going to do this just yet, but I received a Wine Club subscription for Christmas, so I’m going to be getting some new wines over the next few months… and while I do have a broad set of favorites, I’m going to try to record the first impressions of the new ones. I’ll get fancier about these over time – but for now, I’m just going to try to get some notes out.
The back label of the Arbor Crest Merlot promises that it will “… yield layers of raspberry and current framed by spicy, vanilla-scented oak with lingering flavors of chocolate and blackberry.” All in all, I’d say this was pretty accurate. I’ve never had a palette that was good at identifying the raspberries, currants, and blackberries that other people describe in wines, but my first impression on trying this one was a strong fruity flavor without being overly sweet. After the fruit flavor, you get some of that oak – but very subtle, not a strong wood flavor like you get in some wines.
The label was accurate also in what it didn’t say. This is a very fruity and light merlot – but didn’t have a lot of earthiness or umami. I don’t know that I’d pair this one with oily savory foods – maybe not a main course wine. But I’m sure it would go great with cheese and appetizers.
I’d also recommend this one to friends trying to make the transition from sweeter wines to the more earthy/dry ones. It’s a nice, fruity, light wine that still isn’t sweet.
Their website… ugh… uses FRAMES and has a useless splash page with an all-too-large animated GIF.
Arbor Crest Wine Cellars
Merlot – Four Vineyards 2007
An addendum to this: We left the wine stopped up for a couple days after opening it and tried it again today – and it changed. The pleasant, light fruity character is gone – replaced with a much more prominent oak. There’s a better base, but the lighter pieces are gone, and even the texture feels like it’s gotten much heavier and more sedimentary.
Depending on your personal tastes, this could be an open the day before wine or a drink it when you first open it. I’m leaning towards ‘drink it when you get it.’ While I usually prefer a more earthy wine, the foundation feels unnatural and unbalanced with its high tones after a heavy breathing.
(And no, it definitely wasn’t a temperature issue: It was in the wine fridge… and the house was kept at 55 to 60 degrees thanks to a little help from PECO and the snow… and a long power outage)