2005 NAPA Valley Front Porch Merlot
$33.99 + $5 shipping
Condition: Red
Product: 1 C & T Cellars 2005 Front Porch Merlot 3 Pack
Link to CT above (CT price per bottle: $15+, no reviews).
Price seems good… Lets see some reviews.
Honestly not a Merlot fan though…
[How good is this deal?](http://bit.ly/uix5d" title="How good is this deal?)
From the back yard to the front porch … what an easy drinking (and sweet dealin’) week.
Click the link above for all of the normal details.
You said yesterday that your merlot (I assume this one) drinks like a cab. Can you explain that comment a bit more for me?
Also, is this a bordeaux style or a fruit-forward style merlot?
I’m loving the price point.
So does the Merlot source from different appellations, or is the Merlot from one and the Cabernet Sauvignon from the other?
Trent, congrats on the chard sellout. Can you share the “story behind the story” for what appears to be two or three wines blended for this final product. Maybe a good story about the “deal” you made to make it happen as well?
PS-Geography (distance) will make it difficult to be on the same golf course…how did round two go?
Someone’s on the ball tonight…
Trent kinda gave us a good lead, and most of the extra details did not have to change.
:happy:
Uh huh…
Setting aside one’s prejudices is one of the great things about Wine.Woot! It’s entirely possible to find Merlots that drink like shining examples of the varietal, and ones that drink like … Cab Sauvs, wasn’t it?
I’m glad you’re keeping an open mind; I suspect this is some serious Quality vs. Price…
Based on the tasting notes on the C&T site, sounds like it’s fruit-forward:
“The 2005 Front Porch Merlot is very dark in color and has a fabulous merlot aroma of chocolate, coffee, blackberry and hints of vanilla. On the palate the wine is big and rich with nicely balanced tannins. The wine is fruit driven with lots of blackberry and black cheery flavors, on the mid palate and finish, the wine show nice spice, mocha and mouth watering acidity. - Trent Moffett”
Sounds yummy.
I’m in!
This sounds very good and I’m very tempted based on these notes, but this is the owner of the winery speaking. I want to hear from some more objective critic.
I don’t usually like merlot although I haven’t paid enough attention to articulate why. However, at the price point and based on the tasting notes, I may be in. Napa grapes, $13 a bottle shipped, really cool owner, pressure from fellow enabl… I mean wooters…
Trent-
Could you comment on the oak regimen for the components in this wine? Age of barrels, time in barrels, cooperage, etc. roughly estimating where needed. I’d like to know if the aromatics and flavors are more heavily oak influenced or if it’s more about the fruit expression.
Are there any chemistry numbers you can provide (pH, ABV, TA)?
How do Oak Knoll and St. Helena differ? Are they cool, hot, or somewhere in-between?
Hopefully the rats’ll have a chance to report back this time!
very confident in this one that we doubled up on the Chard rats and included a Merlot in their package AND will have 3 more rats. Want this one to be widely tasted. I will let Trent go into more detail, but i have heard about this deal from very early on.
It almost became a woot cellars til i got cold feet about a pure Merlot play and Trent sold like 2,000 cases after winning a blind taste contest with Stanford Alumni association (oops, was i not suppose to divulge?).
If you look at the timing, the wine was secured during the hey day of the “Sideway’s witch trials”. Some very good Merlot floating around for rediculous per gallon pricing.
In for 1! I hope to be lab rat for the first time! Im Ready!
Edit: I see WD’s post above and looks like he included 3 bottles in the six labbie’s on Tues. Maybe next time unless you got more WD?
Well I read the description to SWMBO, as well as provided the background info on negociants, and she gave me the green light! We are in for 1, wine is good medicine after all.
This is the first time (~5 wine woots in) that I have been able to commit early enough to be considered for rat duty. So please consider my request, WD. I’ll go to the local farmer’s market Friday morning and hope for the best!