Tasting a Best Value Napa Valley Merlot Wine as it Decants: Teatown Cellars Merlot

Initial review , by way of background: This is Teatown Cellars Merlot, Napa, California, 2006, finished at 14.9% alcohol. It is said to be modeled after wines from the Right Bank of the Garonne River in Bordeaux, France. Let's see what it has on offer...

In the glass: Deep, dark magenta, opaque from about an inch in from the glass edge.

On the nose: Poured cool with a brief decant and swirled vigorously, shows extremely soft, velvety tones of milk chocolate and pepper. From the aroma, seems like this will be yielding, sweet and creamy.

On the palate: The primary elements on the palate are in fact a full and quite classic merlot fruit on the mid-palate. Yes, this is soft, but with seriously supportive alcohol and acids, and enough tannins for you to know there is a backbone there to the blackcurrant fruit. The tannins flow into the later parts of the sip, bringing sweet cocoa powder into your cheeks to lodge for a long, clean and warming finish.

In summary: Overall, rates four stars on the five-star Spirit of Wine scale. With food, it will want to cut its way through some serious fat, or meaty pasta. Given the solid score, a best value at a modest price point.

Following long decant, a full day kept cool in partially filled bottle: Teatown Cellars Merlot has held up extremely well on the nose, with perhaps a very slight shift towards semi-sweet chocolate and cayenne pepper. Even more red berry flavor now on the mid-palate, with the same overall mouthfeel, and layered finish.

And even longer decant, another full day kept cool in a quite empty bottle: The nose is starting to take on what, for me, is an exquisite aroma... the aroma of Play-Doh(r). Quite bold too. Exciting. On the palate, a slightly more subdued red berry flavor continues coming through, still nicely balanced. Held up very well to the decanting.

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