Red Diamond - Merlot

Price: $9.99
Region: Washington
Year: 2005

OK, I'm trying something a little different this week. Usually I have some wine over the weekend, take some notes, and then sit down later in the week to write the review. Well, it just so happens I have a little free time now, so I decided to write the review at the same time I am trying the wine. I have a glass of Red Diamond Merlot sitting here at my desk, so here goes.

First impression based on the color is pretty good. A nice deep red color, but also a little soft, which I would expect for a Merlot. Now, just gave the glass a few twirls, and gave it a sniff, and again very nice. I'm admittedly not the best a pinpointing specific smells, but it is very appealing, and definitely not too strong, and not too weak. I would say it almost has a floral aroma. Another point to make here before giving my impression of the taste, and overall rating, is that often times I come back to my notes to make a slight adjustment a glass or two later. Obviously that won't be the case here, so this is just my first impression, which will end up driving the overall review. In addition, Merlot is not usually my wine of choice. I have a couple that I really enjoy like Bogle, Blackstone, and Columbia Crest (one of which might finally be #5 on my default list), but generally I stray towards Cabs, and Shiraz. Anyway, the taste of this wine is very good. Definitely not too weak, so it holds up well, with a nice finish, but no aftertaste. Again, hard for me to rate many Merlots really high just because of personal preference, but it definitely stands up with the others that I mentioned above.

Rating: 3.0 Better the avgerage, and definitely worth a try