South Coast Winery

Now this is a big, well-structured Merlot built for big food. I went for the beef. Indeed, this wine was superb with grilled top sirloin, topped with sautéed mushrooms, Anaheim chiles and red onions. That should tell you something right there. Made of grapes off the Freedom and Harmony blocks (don’t you love the way some people name their vineyards), this was the first Merlot made from South Coast Winery’s estate vineyards at Wild Horse Peak. This property is located at 2200 feet in the San Gabriel’s above Temecula, where the winery is located. It definitely has distinctive mountain Merlot properties. Finally, someone understands how fab high altitude Bordeaux can be.

Aromas of wild blueberries, mulberries and cedar greet you with a classic right bank nose jab. If this wine could speak French, it would. It delivers wonderful layers of pomegranate syrup, cassis, ham, elderberries and licorice, with nuances of black pepper. The tannins are amazing: well-muscled, sleek, and feisty. Like a wild Mustang, this wine is intense and relentless. It is indeed a horse that races at full gallop, never content to trot, and most certainly not one that will ever be saddle-broken. There should be more Merlots like this so people get to experience what these powerful animals are all about.

(Alc: 14.2%, Price: $24)

Reviewed May 28, 2007 by Laura Ness.