Hunter Hill Vineyard & Winery

Cool climate Merlot is a thing to be reckoned with. It’s not suitable for introducing white wine-only neophytes to red, as are many California Merlots. What most people think of as Merlot is dummed down super-sweet, soft, flabby swill. It’s like red wine with training wheels. That’s because so much of it is grown where it is warm, sunny and flat. So you get a wine that accurately reflects its terroir.

Not so with true-to-its-Bordeaux-roots Merlot. Much of the Merlot grown and made in the Santa Cruz Mountains has many of the characteristics of that classic French Right Bank stuff: it’s big, thick, powerful and sometimes a bit grippy in the tannin department. It makes your mouth work overtime.

This one from Hunter Hill falls into that category. Like many Merlots I’ve had from the Santa Cruz Mountains, this baby can arm-wrestle a Cabernet to the table in seconds flat. One whiff of the peppery nose and you know there is something powerful lying in wait. In fact, it’s an almost chile pepper nose. On the palate, it’s dried cherries, a hint of menthol and briary fruits. You can really taste the pure New Mexico Red Hatch chile core and a bit of Arbol as well. Funny, but I even got a hint of provolone cheese, and a dash of hazelnut on the finish. This one you’d do well to air out for about an hour before drinking. It’s best served with something spicy, perhaps a red chile of venison or beef, or chicken enchiladas.

(Alc: 13.5%, Retail: $20)

Reviewed December 11, 2006 by Laura Ness.

Other Awards & Accolades

Bronze Award -- Santa Cruz Mountain Winegrowers Competition 2006