To say that we’re enthralled by today’s winery is an understatement. The winery’s winemaking effort is headed by Mike Anderson. Mike hails from a 4th generation winemaking family and his passion for his brand is apparent in every wine he makes. Especially today’s MTGA Wines 2012 Napa Valley Merlot. This wine is truly a great Merlot. Which can be said of only a select handful, which is why we only show you a relative few… we only select the best ones.

Calling all Merlot fans! This Napa Valley winner from MTGA showcases what this grape can do. And for 40% off of one of the noble Bordeaux varietals, it’s an easy decision. If you ever have a Merlot-hater start to pull a sideways, pour some of this in their glass and watch the look on their face.

Very little light makes it through the wine’s dark garnet core, spreading out to a gorgeous magenta around the lip. The grape’s distinctive profile comes through on the nose, with pomegranate, mature red fruit, garden herbs, violets and baking spice. One might mistake it for a true Bordeaux, with its rich flavors of currant, cherry compote, brambles, dried fig and allspice. This wine is an exemplar that Merlot can make for an extremely structured and complex wine. It mingles with every part of the palate before a finish that lasts for days. It would pair excellently with herb-encrusted braised pork loin with red-wine reduction sauce demi-glace and wild rice pilaf.

Merlot is an often abused grape. The infamous sideways effect destroyed this magnificent grape’s street cred in the US. It was often criticized for being one-dimensional or simple. That can sometimes be the case, and why it is often blended with Cab Sauv, or Cab Franc (nothing wrong with that). But today’s wine shows you that Merlot doesn’t need any helping hand from its sister varietals. It can be an incredibly rich, aromatic, structured and complex wine all on its own. If you’re a fan of the varietal, or you want to see what the fuss is all about - today’s wine is a great one to find out.