My Sideways Moment…

Straight up here folks, I’m not a Merlot fan.  I’ve had one too many boring, blah and mediocre Merlot’s that have put me off.  So much so that when offered a free sample of it, I often turn it down.  Wow, I’ve been burned!  Last night was different though.  The Marques de Casa Concha wines from Chile peaked my interest.  I knew these wines (and I do mean ALL of) were high scoring wines and I’d had my first surreal moment with them a year ago at an industry tasting in Rochester.  It was the Carmenere and I couldn’t stop talking about, so short of telling me to put a cork in it, JR (the owner of Ryan’s) brought it into the store and said, “here, now sell it!”

Anyways, I sucked it up and held out my glass for a sampling of the Merlot last night.  All I could think while tasting it was, “would it be rude to ask if they needed to sample this bottle anymore to other stores?  Can I keep it?  Can I sneak it under my jacket?  Can I slip it down my pant leg without them noticing?”  It was to-die-for-licious!  It was huge!  So full of smooth tannins and richness that I thought I’d need a toothbrush afterwards to brush my teeth!  I got some great dark fruits and spice in the flavor, this was definitely a Cab-lovers Merlot (as the rep called it).  There was NO wimpiness to it and nothing to throw a hissy fit about outside a restaurant (Miles in Sideways).  So for all those that have said “I’m not drinking any @^*$* MERLOT!”, put the expletives away, back away from the Pinot (or not, if you really do enjoy it!) and try a GREAT Merlot again!

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