Winemaker Notes
Food Pairings: Smooth and versatile, Brass Tacks Merlot is a very food friendly wine that pairs well with red meats, grilled salmon, poultry and heavy meat sauces.
Gold Medal - The Brass Tacks Merlot was awarded a Gold Medal in the 2010 San Diego International Wine Competition after being reviewed by a panel international wine critics.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Bone dry, with brisk tannins, this is a Merlot to drink with good food and not worry about the wine overshadowing it. It’s really drinkable, with a soft, lush mouthfeel and flavors of cherries, currants, spices and cedar. Editor's Choice
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.
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.