Winemaker Notes
Deep ruby-red in color, with concentrated notes of crushed black cherries, cocoa, dried herbs, and a touch of balsam. Broad, velvety, and mouth-filling on the palate, it strikes a perfect balance between strong tannins and elegant acidity.
Pair with with steak, grilled tenderloin, baby back ribs, or hearty veal stew.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Exquisite aromas and flavors of black cherries, violets, chili chocolate and rosemary-like herbs. Full and very silky with well-integrated, chocolate-coated tannins, carrying a hint of balsamic, too. Long, delicious finish. So well balanced and refined. Complex. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Sold in a specially designed bottle with very soft shoulders and a pretty form, the Sansonina 2018 Garda Merlot shows a delicate personality in this cool vintage. The wine's power and concentration are reined back to offer an elegant expression of fruit, cherry and blackcurrant. Those fruit renderings are softly framed by mild oak spice over a mid-weight finish.
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.
Part of the greater Veneto wine region, Verona, the city, is the capital of Italy’s wine trade, hosting the country’s most important wine fair, Vinitaly, each year.
Everyday-drinking red and white blends can also be bottled under the heading Veronese IGT or IGP if they are comprised of approved Veneto grape varieties. Typically for reds, these include Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Corvina, Corvinone and Merlot among others. For whites, the approved grapes include Chardonnay, Friulano, Garganega, Pinot Bianco, Trebbiano and others. Rosato can also be labeled in this way with the same varieties approved for red blends. These wines represent an affordable introduction to the wines of the area.