Marquis Philips Merlot 2008
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Robert
Parker
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Appearance: Opaque red-black, scarlet rim.
Aroma: Ultra-rich red berry liqueur. Hint of sweet red beets, earthy, mineral notes, smoke, cola-nut.
Palate: Fat, silky, rich, black fruits. Dark chocolate. Soft tannin finish.
With air contact time there is hardly any progression at all, save for a hint of rich tomato soup on the nose.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2008 Merlot will go a long way toward repairing the grape’s reputation as a libido killer. Purple-colored, it sports an enticing bouquet of cedar, black cherry, plum, and violets. Full-bodied, layered, and succulent on the palate, this ripe effort is well balanced despite its size, and has a lengthy, fruit-filled finish. Drink it over the next 5 years.
Other Vintages
2002-
Robert
Parker
With generous fruit and supple tannins, Merlot is made in a range of styles from everyday-drinking to world-renowned and age-worthy. Merlot is the dominant variety in the wines from Bordeaux’s Right Bank regions of St. Emilion and Pomerol, where it is often blended with Cabernet Franc to spectacular result. Merlot also frequently shines on its own, particularly in California’s Napa Valley. Somm Secret—As much as Miles derided the variety in the 2004 film, Sideways, his prized 1961 Château Cheval Blanc is actually a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
Known for opulent red wines with intense power and concentration, McLaren Vale is home to perhaps the most “classic” style of Australian Shiraz. Vinified on its own or in Rhône Blends, these hot-climate wines are deeply colored and high in extract with signature hints of dark chocolate and licorice. Cabernet Sauvignon is also produced in a similar style.
Whites, often made from Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc tend to be opulent and full of tropical, stone and citrus fruit.