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Kirkland Signature Series 2012 Oakville Merlot

Oakville California is in the heart of Napa Valley.  In this blog, we have previously talked about how, the more narrowly defined the source of the grapes, the better and more expensive the wine.  There is not a better source for Merlot and Cabernet in the US than Napa Valley.  This wine narrows the grape source to the Oakville area of the Napa Valley.  Oakville is north of the town of Napa and south of St Helena and Rutherford and is renowned for immensely concentrated, balanced grapes from the well drained soils of gravel and sand.

The Kirkland Series 2012 Oakville Merlot is one of the finest wines I have tasted in recent months.  It has a beautiful dark velvet color and an inviting aroma.  The initial taste is soft, but the longer the wine is in the mouth, the better it gets.  It has a deep red and black berry flavor and a tremendous long lasting finish with medium, balanced oak.  The wine has an A.C. of 14.5%.  I cannot say enough good things about this wine.  At $14.99, I plan to go back and buy a lot more.  I think you could easily pay more than $20 for a wine like this.

SC Wine Joe Rating = 92


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