I just seem to be hitting all around these Twitter tasting events that have been going on. A couple of weeks ago, I managed to miss the #CaliCabs tasting, and now I've gone and prematurely popped the cork (hmm, seems like an unfortunate choice of words, but I'll let it run anyway) on the perfect wine to use for the upcoming #WAMerlot event that Josh over at Drink Nectar is putting together with some cohorts of his in Washington. Oh well, having tasted this wine, I can honestly say that it was worth it.
My wife and I took a trip up to Washington this summer and spent some time in Walla Walla. One of my favorite stops on our trip was at Northstar Winery. The lady who was working in the tasting room (unfortunately I've forgotten her name, I didn't know I'd be blogging about wine back then) was kind enough to take us on a tour of the cellar and talked with us for quite some time about their wines and about wine in the Walla Walla area. The real highlight of the trip was the wine though. After doing a tasting of their Merlot, I had no choice but to buy a bottle.
The 2005 Northstar Merlot from the Walla Walla Valey is made from 80% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Petit Verdot. The alcohol comes in at 14.4%, and a bottle will run you around $50 at the winery.
The nose of this wine leaps out of the glass with some wonderful dark cherry notes, along with some slightly herbal components. I also get a touch of coffee and something that I identified as dates, along with some leather and a little bit of cigar box aromas. On the palate, this wine is silky smooth, with some cherry and blackberry, as well as a little bit of well balanced oak. This wine has great structure and balance, with a nice finish that plays for a very long time.
This wine is outstanding, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has a chance to try it. At $50, it is certainly not an every day wine, but if you are looking for a nice Merlot to open on a special occasion, you could do a lot worse than this one. I did find myself asking if this wine was $20 better than the Barnard Griffin Merlot that I reviewed a while back, and I'm not sure that it was. Given the price, I would still recommend this wine, but if you are looking for a quality Washington Merlot that is a little more affordable, you might check out the Barnard Griffin Reserve.
Final Grade (1-5)
Legend – Skip it
Meh
Worth a Try
Give it a Go
Run Get Some
perhaps the lady was Melanie? Fun to live in WW – everyone knows everyone (maybe that’s not fun sometimes) I agree this is a good wine, but I too ask myself if it’s worth the price when I drink it. Out of curiosity, did you stop at neighboring Pepper Bridge on your trip?
Could be. I’m not really sure. I know that she told me that her family had been growers in the area for some time (which may not narrow it down much).
I did actually stop by Pepper Bridge, and my father-in-law actually bought me a bottle of their Cabernet. Great wine! I’m really excited to open that one too, but waiting for my next special occasion.
Great props for #WAMerlot. Sounds like a nice wine. I love a wine with a aromatic nose. This wine reads like the kind of Merlot I typically enjoy. Big bold variety on the nose and a nice structured smooth palate.
I’ve had several wines from Pepper Bridge vineyards but not any actually made by Pepper Bridge. Will do in June!
Josh
Yeah, I think that you’d like this one Josh. 50 bones is definitely a little pricey for guys like us who like finding value wines, but it’s a really nice wine.
Funny that Pepper Bridge actually no longer owns the namesake vineyard but is part owner (with L’Ecole 41 and Leonetti) of Seven Hills Vineyard. Their wines are usually blends of the two vineyards.
That’s interesting. I really enjoyed visiting both Pepper Bridge and Northstar. The people were great at both places, and really showed us a lot of what they were doing. Loved it, and can’t wait to be back in Walla Walla for WBC10 in June.
Nice review Ben. I’m hoping you find/have a third WAMerlot to share in Josh’s event.
The price point comparison is interesting. I find myself doing this too and trying to decide if one bottle at 2X is better than 2 bottles at X. My palate almost always decides the $25 wine is worth twice the $10-$15, but its mucher rarer to find a $50+ wine that I think is worth twice a $25.
Yeah, that’s a great way to look at it. Definitely hard to say that this would be worth buying in place of two bottles of the BG that I had.
I will definitely find at least one bottle for the WAMerlot event. I can find Washington wines at stores here, so I can at least come up with some larger winery offerings, and I might even order something from a winery in Washington.
The 2002 Northstar Merlot made time stand still for me. It was a wine moment. At the Merlot Gone Mad event Northstar poured the 2005 Columbia Valley and the Walla Walla Merlots side by side. I really preferred the Columbia Valley over the Walla Merlot. It was more nuanced while the Walla Walla was a bit over the top for me.
Thanks for the comment. My experience with Northstar has been limited to the trip that I took out to Walla Walla, and the bottle that I brought home. I would like to try some more of their wines, and hope that I get a chance to try the Columbia Valley sometime.
Cheers!