Fort Walla Walla Cellars Merlot

Fort walla walla is just superb. Wish Jim and Cliff would have continued the winery. I’m sure few have much of their wines left but we have a collection to enjoy and savor. If you have these, drink here and there but their range is still strong and will last many years to come.

A 10 year old Washington Merlot, pretty damn good! Almost black at the core, dark dirty bricks at the edge, smells of wet forest. Medium body, plush mouthfeel, there is still some fruit here...red fruit; black cherry, raspberry but mostly tastes of tobacco, spice and rugged things. It finishes with a massive burst of mouth-filling brightness. intense! and it lingers slowly and fades after about 30 seconds leaving some dusty tannin at the end. quite a nice surprise!

Similar notes, but this bottle was a bit better integrated. Should have bought a case...

Great big, but smooth, wine. Cherry and plum with some tobacco and spices. Nice long finish. I got a great deal on this ($16/bottle). If I was factoring in QPR, it would be at least a 91, if not higher. Probably will cellar for a while longer, but drinking well now.

I'm not usually a fan of such big wines but this one struck me as delicious. Ripe rich black fruit that was very fresh tasting, along with a streak of vanilla oak. Long tasty finish. A really nice wine if you don't mind getting your teeth stained.