Swanson, Merlot, Napa Valley

It was better than I anticipated. About what you would expect from an old Merlot. But better than a typical 2006 Merlot.

2006 vintage

Far too old. I like Swanson wines in general, fresh, fruity, drinkable. But this was my fault.

2006 vintage

a bit too pruney... but still drinkable.

2012 vintage

Really like this wine! Great value!

2012 vintage

Beautiful mature Merlot, great with grilled steak

2012 vintage

drink now.

2012 vintage

smell of charcoal, earthy. black cherries. Flavors of leather with a very slight sweetness, I am so happy that I held this wine this long. I believe that the remaining bottles that have not been consumed should be very good for at least 2 -4 more years. Of the numerous CA merlots, this one is in the top 10, OK it may be tied for 10th place.

2012 vintage

It was funky. Didn’t hold on

2006 vintage

Cork good. Wine still good.

1999 vintage

Has improved with age compared to previous bottles; at peak

2012 vintage

Enjoyable bottle for the price. Straight-forward with no frills and mild tannins. A bit in the fruity side.

2012 vintage

Drank for Gavin's birthday party. Fruit forward, with enough structure at the price point.

2012 vintage

Better than the last bottle...

2012 vintage

I heard good things about this wine so I picked up a couple of bottles, but I'm just not really getting it. It's not bad, but tastes like pretty run of the mill merlot. The tannins are thin, the nose weak, and the taste is pretty mild, almost watery. What's there is nice but this is too subtle for me I guess.

2012 vintage

Brief decant. Probably requires much longer decant or more time in the cellar. Certainly did not experience the plushness or ripe tannins that WS mentioned in their review. Rough around the edges and tannins missing in action.

2012 vintage

Nose - Strong scent of cedar, chocolate and spice Wine legs are numerous Color - Deep inky purple Very ripe tannins; still young, needs more cellaring Medium body

2012 vintage

Well structured up front with depth and cassis flavors. Dry on the finish.

2012 vintage

Complex nose, woodsy-porty. Full bodied with lots of soft tannins. Amazingly good for its age. Perfect drinking age.

2006 vintage

PNP - Started off with a little funk on the nose... but this blew off. Then a nice blue fruit aroma and palate, although rather one-dimensional. Medium finish, some tannins. OK... but mothering special.

2005 vintage

Nice medium weight Merlot with a bit of age. Dark ruby color showing aromas of earth, leather, dark berries, and cherries with some distant greenness in the background. Plush and silky in the mouth, but dry. Flavor profile similar to the aromatics. Subdued finish.

2006 vintage

A solid merlot, with tobacco, earth, soft cherry fruit. Could be falling off a bit. But still a solid wine. Very Bordeaux like.

2005 vintage

Excellent pairing with lamb shank - great age on bottle...

2005 vintage

This is a big wine and drinks like a cabernet. Needs some time to open up. This can cellar for another 10 years easy. It's drinking well now but will only improve with age. Outstanding merlot.

2006 vintage

Nice full bodied merlot. Good fruit with a little spice, smooth, lingering finish

2005 vintage

HUGE Merlot! Big bodied, tons of fruit and spice with a real strong backbone. Delicious!

2005 vintage

Tasted after TIARI Deux in Aurora. This has a very nice structure and is almost Cab like. Oak and black fruit coming through with tannins that suggests it will age medium term at least.

2006 vintage

Like a Swanon TV dinner. Satisfying but unexceptional. Disjointed with predominately green pepper, vegetables and oak. It had a flash of buttery, vanilla finesse on the finish, but it was gone in an instant. Review and photos here: http://www.thefreewineblog.com/2011/08/tv-dinner-of-wines.html

2006 vintage

I'm a little disappointed in the bottle to bottle variation between the exact same vintages. Still good... but not near the quality of the last 2005 we had.

2005 vintage

Full bodied, solid tannins, with nice balanced and decent finish. An enjoyable merlot for cab lovers.

2005 vintage

Enjoyable, but not nearly as good as the last two bottles of the same vintage, which we bought from the same liquor store a couple weeks apart. Wasn't corked, but maybe not stored ideally.

2005 vintage

Wasn't expecting much, but a pleasant surprise. An enjoyable Merlot with a nice balance.

2005 vintage

Dry and less tannic than 2004. Red berry nose and taste.

2005 vintage

This was a great vintage for Swanson, drink it now

2005 vintage

Not the 05, but a bit of age has done this well. Needs food to chime. Vanilla, raspberry, other core red fruit, a bit of tannin, won't last long.

2006 vintage

Dark purple/garnet hue. Dark fruit aromas with black currant, black berry, cherry and licorice backed by a nutty bouquet of dark chocolate, chalk, spice, tobacco and cigar. Heat spikes slightly on the fairly complex nose. Full-bodied in style, this wine shows an abundance of fruit on the attack with black berry, blue berry and dark plum, supported by a big structure of firm, yet well refined and chewy tannins and still fresh acidity. Excellent length, this wine finishes with mouthful …

2005 vintage

Beautiful purple color with ruby hue. A nutty bouquet with smoke, spice, cedar and dark chocolate at the back revealing nice aromas of black berry, blueberry and sour cherry. Great harmony and complexity on the nose. A full-bodied wine with black berry, blueberry, ripe cherry, plum on the attack. Very well-rounded structure fine and gritty tannins backed by nice acidity and heat, wrapping fruit tightly within, which needs time to open up. Long finish, nice fruit with cedar, tobacco, coffee …

2006 vintage

Napa vs. Sonoma (Farpointe Cellar) : Ripe fruit on the nose, especially black currant and raspberry, along with a little pepper and mocha. Quite tannic on the palate, and pretty oaky. The fruit and spice flavors are there, but in the background. It may need more time.

2006 vintage

Excellent merlot. Nice finish

2005 vintage

Aromas of dark blueberry and plum. Similar flavors on the medium to full bodied palate. May be peaking now as the finish is starting slip.

2005 vintage

Wonderful - benefited from aeration and would be fine with more cellar time. Big, deep flavors; big shoulders but soft edges. Wonderful touches of blood orange flavors.

2006 vintage

Dark red fruits, toasty oak and nicely balanced. Always a consistent merlot.

2005 vintage

Bright ruby red, purple, young, fresh, fruity nose with BlackBerry, cassis, raspberry, silky tannins, a hint of chocolate, nice harmonious finish, not very long, but extremely pleasant. not great, but very nice.

2006 vintage

Aromas of spices, cherry, and toaty cedar. A full bodied wine with an explosion of flavor on the palate. Plums and black cherry with some oak are pwerful on this full bodied wine. Acidity shines on the long finish. ($10)

2005 vintage

Great with some time to breathe.

2005 vintage

This wine was popped and poured, then tasted over the ensuing hour. Because I am a big believer in aerating young wines, I think that I may be unfairly judging this one. That said, the wine shows a deep-to-opaque ruby robe with red rim. The nose is clean, showing muted black fruit, spice and vanilla aromas. Full-bodied on the palate, with low acidity, medium sweet tannins and black fruit flavors. The middle palate thins somewhat and the finish is short. …

2005 vintage

Good dark black color. Slightly smoky & toasty nose of black plum & some blackberry. Not shy. Full entry of linear black plum & black cherry flavors that flow into structured, yet tame tannins & a nice core of cleansing acids. OK.

2005 vintage

SF Vintners Market: 164 Wines Tasted (Fort Mason, San Francisco, California) : Red plum, oak nose; very simple, red plum, oak palate; short-medium finish

2006 vintage

A spicy nose of dark fruit, dark in color. Cherry, toasty vanilla notes, red currants, and Asian spice. A smooth enjoyable Merlot, I had not drank a Merlot for some time and so I am glad I tried this one. Second time I have tried this year, a solid wine.

2005 vintage

Dark blackberry color, dark ruby at edges, inky purple solid opaque core. Swirling shows some big legs and body. Gorgeous nose - black cherry, blackberry (even a little cassis), very slightly jammy, slightly peppery. On the palate, not as good as the nose, initially. Quite acidic, and a lot of bitter tannin from both the grapes and from the oak. Flavours of vanilla and tar are quite dominating and not enough fruit on the palate to match, and therefore out …

2005 vintage

Seems very unbalanced with a little bit too much oak for my pallete.

2005 vintage

Are you sure?

Swanson, Merlot, Napa Valley

Vintages

No vintages

Community Reviews