So, let me understand this prevalent opinion going around. You don’t like Merlot because you heard from a guy who knows a guy who saw a movie that seemed to be about wine that the main character, Miles, said, in a drunk rant, “I’m Not Drinking Any #@%!$ Merlot!.” Even though the backstory that no one remembers is that Miles says that he does not like Merlot because that is the wine that he and his ex-wife had shared together, and the varietal brings back unpleasant memories for him. Overlooked is the scene at the movie’s end where he sits down in a fast food joint and drinks his prized ’61 Cheval Blanc by himself out of a paper cup, a Merlot-based wine. A bottle costing $5,000, if you can find it in today’s market. He also disparages oaky Californian Chardonnay, a rant conveniently forgotten by the drinking public.

To be fair to Miles, when the movie was made and released in 2004, Merlot was soaring in popularity. Easy to pronounce and liked by all with its soft, sensual texture and approachable style. Mike Benziger, in the late 2000s, was very proud of his mountain-grown Merlot and described it as an iron fist inside of a silk glove because of the power of his prized Merlot fruit. Mike also saw the surge in the Merlot varietal category and foretold that farmers who had cow pastures would soon have Merlot vineyards in their place. Lots of cheap Merlot were grown due to high demand. It is ironic that due to the aforementioned movie, lots of cheap, not very good Pinot Noir was grown due to demand, and twenty years later, those cow pastures now grow Pinot Noir. Good Merlot’s still exist, but you need to find a reliable producer that has a history and expertise in the varietal so that you can fall in love with this wine all over again. Let me introduce you to Alexander Valley Vineyards Merlot.

Hank Wetzel began working in his family's vineyards at a very young age, starting with tying canes and trimming vines, 9 hours a day, earning $1.40 an hour, much to the amusement of the full-time employees. He stuck with it and graduated from the University of California–Davis in 1974 with a B.S. in Fermentation Science. For his senior project, he developed a plan for a small winery, which became the blueprint for AVV (Alexander Valley Vineyards). Winery construction started in 1975, and being a small family project, his wife Linda set up AVV’s accounting system. and helped with the first harvest later that year. In the early days, Hank not only made the wine but he also handled sales. Crisscrossing the state in a blue van, the pair would stop at restaurants and wine shops, offering samples of those early releases and taking orders. The venture was a success, and the wines won accolades from critics and wine drinkers nationwide. 2024 marks the family’s 62^nd year on their historic property and the 50th harvest at this family-owned winery.

Alexander Valley Vineyards began producing Merlot in 1984, and their wine has a reputation for being a rich, complex, and structured wine, often showing as much tannin as many Cabernet Sauvignons. Some say it’s a Merlot for Cabernet lovers, and others call it a Merlot for serious Merlot lovers. However you want to say it, this is a real Merlot that lives up to what good Merlots can be, rich, silky, complex, and powerful.

The 2020 growing season was near-perfect, with unseasonably warm temperatures and lower-than-normal rainfall at the start, followed by weeks of steady daytime heat and cool evenings.

The Merlot vines are heavily pruned, and fruit is dropped several times during the growing season to ensure even ripening. The wine is fermented at a slightly lower temperature than other Bordeaux varieties to maintain the lush flavors and structure. After fermentation, the wine ages for 15 months in a combination of French and American oak barrels.

This wine always impresses red wine lovers, and we refer to it as a Merlot for Cabernet lovers. There are big aromas of black cherry, plum, cassis, vanilla, and oak in the glass. This wine has a broad mouth-feel with flavors of cherry, cassis, blackberry, plum, and a hint of chocolate. This is a nicely balanced wine with a long, textured finish.

Brick red color. Aromas and flavors of red and black cherry, cocoa nibs, espresso bean, and cedar with a velvety, tangy, dry-yet-fruity medium body and a tingling, refreshing, medium-length finish that shows notes of ripe and tart cherry, strawberry, raspberry, and plum, and mocha and baking spice with light oak flavor. Juicy red fruits meld with balanced espresso and cocoa tones from the French oak; an exceptionally well crafted new world Merlot.Gold Medal, Exceptional, Tastings.com 95 pts

Alexander Valley Vineyards Merlot 2020 has dry, plummy fruit, focused and zesty, its body sleek, it texture silken. Best of Class. Beverage Testing Institute 95 pts

Beautiful, broad and plush, this structured but charming wine overflows with red fruits and baking spices, with a vibrant core of black currants. Great concentration, moderate tannins and good acidity mean the wine tastes fresh and deep from the first sip to the last. Editor’s Choice Wine Enthusiasts 93 pts

Alexander Valley Vineyards Estate Merlot 2020

It did not take any twisting arms to find a group of talented wine tasters to sample this wine. OK, one was talented; the rest just love good wine. And this wine fit into their wheelhouse perfectly. The color was an opaque ruby red. Aromas wafting out to the glass were of cherry compote, sun-ripened fruit with vanilla, and baked apple cinnamon. In the mouth, there was a silky, velvety texture; the fruit has a sense of brilliance, raspberry almond with medium elegant tannins balanced with a good acid balance. The wine left you with a long, ripe fruit finish. This wine is a great example of why we love Merlot in its truest form. I know you will love this wine, also.

Regular Price: $19.99

*Sale price is on 6 or more bottle purchase

Wine is packed in a 12-bottle case

Quantities are limited

*Wine pricing for these wine promotions are held for two weeks after the email offer.

We can hold wines in unpaid reserves for two weeks to allow you time to pick up your wine. If it takes you longer than that to pick up your wines, give us a call, and we can process your wine and move it to paid reserves.

Orders must be done by replying to this email. The reason is that I need to keep control of the inventory in one central spot. Emailing or calling your favorite wine geek at one of our four stores may not get your orders in on time to be counted or processed and this creates a helter-skelter for us to get you the wine. For the same reason, ordering on our online Web Store is linked to our regular price, and this sale price is only offered on the email platform. It is also why it takes me some time to respond due to the deluge of orders that I sometimes get. We haven't reached the efficiency or volume of Amazon yet. Thank you in advance for your patience.

Let me know your preferred store for pickup: Attleboro, Norwood, Sturbridge, or Swansea. If you don't state the store, I will assume you are picking up in Sturbridge.

Place your order now while you've got everything in front of you. Reply to this email along with your name and which store you want to pick it up.

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Cheers!

—John Hannum, Fine & Rare Wine Specialist

Attleboro

628 Washington St.

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942 Providence Hgwy.

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376 Main Street.

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207 Swansea Mall Dr.

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