Rockbridge Vineyard Merlot DeChiel Reserve

This wine is past it’s prime. Fruit is diminished, creating an unbalance of notable overacidity. I recall a much more favorable impression of this wine in the past otherwise the score would have been lower.

1/5 at Virginia Tasting Cellar in Farmville, VA

Consistent with my previous notes. This wine just gets better with age. Recommend aerating one hour for full enjoyment. These people know what they're doing and making Virginia wines shine.

Medium nose shows light earth, red plum, light barnyard, dark roses, coffee grounds. Palate is interesting, shows some funk/tertiary notes with the age, forest floor, but then it's fresh too, red plums, raspberry, some mushroom, soft cedar, dried herbs. This was better than I expected, nice value and the 7 years of age does it right.

One of the best, if not the best, Virginia wine I've ever had at a $20 price point. Aged 38 months in oak (super long for Commonwealth wines). It is soft and balanced with fruit and oak nicely integrated. Partied nicely with barbecue pork.The finish is a long symphony of vanilla and spice. Impressive effort from Rockbridge.