Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Wine Review: Northstar Columbia Valley Merlot 2012

October is International Merlot Month thanks to MerlotMe.com!

NorthStar Columbia Valley Merlot 2012

I don't care what anybody says about Bordeaux or Napa or Chile; Washington State does the best Merlot in the world. You can quote me on that. And so for International Merlot Month we stay in the northwestern United States but head up to Washington's Columbia Valley with Northstar.

Northstar falls under the Ste. Michelle umbrella, and it was created for the sole purpose of making world class Merlot. They do make other varietals such as Cabernet and even Malbec, but their attention is focused on their flagship Columbia Valley and Walla Walla Merlots, as well as Merlot based blends.

I have here their 2012 Columbia Valley Merlot that retails for $41. The blend consists of 82% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot and has a 14.7% ABV. The fruit is purchased from the best possible sites in Columbia Valley under close working relationships with the growers to get exactly what they're looking for. This vintage comes from 10 different vineyards and 14 different blocks. 90% saw 18 months in French oak barrels, 55% of which were new.

Sleater-Kinney, All Hands on the Bad One
ALL HANDS ON THE BAD ONE
Washington being the source of so much great music, I had to make my soundtrack for the night by a band from the state. I decided it would be Sleater-Kinney's All Hands on the Bad One album, which came out 16 years ago. When I was 20. Shit. Time to slip into nostalgic memories of reckless pastimes.

The wine is a dark ruby in color. I quickly decided that it needed to breath, because the nose was nothing but pencil shavings and the palate was void of any flavor.

So I did some swirling, went to the kitchen to get myself a selection of cheese while shaking my booty to a rockin' girl band. Then I came back and did some more swirling and hanging out. The wine remained dull. I went ahead and actually wrote a full review of another Merlot. This one never came alive. Even the next day it remained uninterested and uncaring to human desire.

I'm sad to say that this review ends with my biggest fear as a blogger coming to fruition, and it's not the fault of the winemaker, the winery or anybody but Bacchus. The bottle I received was defective. There's none of that big, concentrated, dark fruit that should be there. There's nothing, and it's rather thin. This wine should be highly expressive and structured.

This is too sad. I can't even deal. Just don't talk to me. I need to be alone.

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING
Price: $41
Rating: DEFECTIVE BOTTLE

The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.
Newer Posts Older Posts Home

1 comment:

  1. I just experienced the wonders of Dr. Kham Herbal Remedies. God will continue to bless you Dr. Kham Herbal Remedies more abundantly for the good work you are doing in people's life by curing them from different types of diseases. I will keep on testifying about your good work. I was diagnosed with herpes 6 months ago and my doctor told me that there is no cure. I did not believe him and I keep my faith up hoping that one day I will be cured from this horrible disease. One day I saw a post on the Herpes Virus Blog forum about a herbal doctor called Dr. Kham Herbal Remedies on how he cures people from diseases with his herbs and I quickly contacted Dr. Kham herbal remedies in his email explained my problem to him and he told me not to worry that he is going to cure me and truly he prepared the cure and sent it to me through UPS and gave me instructions on how to take it. After two weeks of taking herbal Medication, I went to my doctor for a checkup and my result showed Negative and my doctor told me that there is no trace of herpes in my body and the virus is completely gone from my body. Everybody at the clinic rejoiced with me and they all asked for Dr. Kham herbal remedies Contact Information Also and I Share it with them and if You want to be a living testimony of this why not try his herbs via his E-mail ( dr.khamcaregiver@gmail.com ) or WhatsApp him via +234 815 992 22 97 or visit his web-site..... https://herbalistdrkhamcaregiver.simdif.com

    ReplyDelete

Labels

*SPONSORED* ABriefHistoryOf Abruzzo Agiorgitiko Aglianico Airen Albarino Aleatico Alentejo Alexander Valley Alicante Bouschet Alsace Apothic Argentina Armagnac Arroyo Grande Arroyo Seco audio article Australia Austria Baco Barbera Barrossa Valley Batman Beaujolais beer Best Of biodynamic blend blog Bogati Bonarda book Bordeaux bourbon box wine Brachetto brandy Bulgaria Burgundy Cabernet Franc Cabernet Sauvignon Cahors Caino Blanco California Campania Canada Canaiolo. cans Cape Cod Captain America Carignan Cariñena Carmenere Catalonia Cava Central Coast certification Chablis Chalk Hill Champagne Chardonnay cheese Chenin Blanc Chianti Chile China cider Cinsault Clarksburg cocktails Cognac Colombard Columbia Valley comics Cotes-du-Rhone Counoise Croatia CSW Dane Cellars DC dessert wine Distill Wars Dona Blanco Douro Dry Creek Dunnigan Hills Edna Valley Falanghina February Felix Hart Fer Servadou Fiano fiction Finger Lakes Folle Blanche formulas France Franciacorta Frankovka Frappato Furmint Galicia Galilee Gamay Garganega Gascony Germany Gewurtztraminer gin Glera Godello Graciano greco di tufo Greece Grenache Grenache Blanc Grillo Gros Manseng Gruner Veltliner GSM guest blog Heroes history horror how to Hungary interview Israel Italy Japan Jerez Kansas kosher Lambrusco Languedoc-Roussillon Left Coast Leyda Valley Lisboa Livermore Lodi Loire Loureira love letter Macon Madeira Madiran Malbec Malvasia Marcillac marijuana Marlborough Marsanne Marselan Marvel Massachusetts Matchbook Mavrud Mazuelo McLaren Vale mead Melnik Mencia Mendocino Mendoza Meritage Merlot Mexico Michigan mixology Monbazillac Monstant Montecucco Montepulciano Monterey Montery Moscato Mosel Mourvédre Muscadelle Muscat mythology Napa Navarra Nebbiolo Nero d'Avola New York New Zealand news non-alcoholic nonfiction Norello Mascalese North Coast Oakville Oregon organic original meme pairings Palestine Pecorino Pedro Ximenez Perricone Petit Verdot Petite Sirah Petite Verdot photo gallery phylloxera Picpoul Piedmont Pinot Blanc Pinot Gris/Grigio Pinot Meunier Pinot Noir Pinotage Pliny podcast Port Portugal Press Release Primitivo product Prosecco Provence quickie quote rakia recipe retail problems Retsina review Rheingau Rhone Rias Baixas Ribera del Duero Riesling Rioja Rondinella rose Roussanne Rubin Rueda rum Russian River Sagrantino Sake Salta Sandanski Misket Sandeanski Misket Sangiovese Sangria santa clara Santa Lucia Higlands Sauvignon Blanc science scotch Sekt Semillon Seyval Blanc Sherry Sicily Somontano Sonoma South Africa South Australia Spain spark Sparkling Spider-Man spirits stemware storage study sulfites Superman sustainable SWE Syrah Tannat Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Temecula Tempranillo Tequila Texas thc The Flash Tinta Amarela Tinta Caiada Torrontes Touriga Nacional Traminer Trebbiano Trincadeira Turkey Tuscany Ugni Blanc Umbria USA Valdiguié Valiant Valpolicella vegan Veneto Verdejo Verdicchio Vermentino Vermont Vermouth Vernacca Vidal Blanc video Vinho Verde Viognier Virginia Viura vodka Walla Walla Washington State whiskey White zinfandel Wildstorm Willamette wine Wine Bloggers Off-Topic wine club Wine Pick Wolverine Wonder Woman Zinfandel Zweigelt