Wineguider wine reviews

Today we pit the 2010 Wild Haven reserve merlot from Horse Heaven Hills in Washington State ($13) against the BV Napa Valley 2011 merlot ($16).

Whew.  These merlots were not easy to taste.  Both had unripe green vegetable flavors.  Both tasted sour.  Both make you feel like you have been really sick for a few weeks and you’re just now trying wine again for the first time — you know that metallic flavor that always hits you?  Yeah.

THE LOSER:  Wild Haven Reserve.  This 2010 merlot is on sale at Total Wine for $13, marked down from $17.  It’s worth about $10, although on the positive side I can say that it doesn’t have that super-generic, familiar taste.  It’s a bit different, perhaps because it hails from Washington.  But it’s surprisingly similar to the other wine in today’s shootout, which is from California:

THE “WINNER” – BV Napa Valley.   This 2011 merlot has a little more depth, and a little more fruit.  But it’s not sweet.  I love this winery, and greatly respect them.  So I assume the grapes from this vintage were just sub-par.  And that rings true, as I have never found anything to like about the affordable California reds from 2010 and 2011.

This wine is not recommended, but it wins this comparison.  Cheers!