Enfield Wine Co. Merlot Michael Black Vineyard

I last had this in 2021, and said it needed 3-5 years. Three years later it’s quite delicious, but it needs the extra two years of development, as it’s still quite youthful. Wish I had more than one bottle left, as it has a ton of promise, but we’ll just have to exercise some patience to get to the payoff. Right now it’s still a fresh red fruit, herbal and vanilla accented mid-weight with sneaky finishing tannins. There’s more to …

I've had this merlot back when the fruit went to Coho and really liked it then. This was quite nice, was very excited to see Enfield's take on this vineyard. Still drinking pretty young (well, I guess it is a 2018). Red plums, some hints of dusty earth, slightest kiss of oak. I'd hold for a bit longer.

Upon initial pop and pour, this was extremely tight with a wall of acidity. Decanted for around two hours really helped the wine open up to reveal some red plum, red currant, a bit of grape must, and some purple floral notes. Definitely on the fresher, lighter side of merlot without a ton of oak weighing the wine down. Medium+ slightly sharp acidity, medium tannin and body. Overall, I think this wine will benefit from a couple extra years in …

Indeed, as described in a note below, this Merlot was great with a grilled burger. Plum and dark berry on the nose. Intriguing finish that kept me coming back for more.

Three hours in the decanter, then bam! Merlot gets a bad rap because of a million atrocious, wines-by-the-glass, but this is a horse of a different color. Deep red fruit, warm herbal tones, and a hint of vanilla spice are backed up by solid tannins that will carry this for many years. It’s almost approachable now, but gets a little gnarly on the finish. Better to let it rest for 3-5, or maybe a little less for good behavior.

60 minute decant. Heady nose of blueberries, violets and some mint and liquorice. Crisp on the palate with lots of vibrant blue fruit and some nervy earth tones. Lots of tannin but so much vibrancy it’s very drinkable. As recommended, fantastic with burgers.