Mind blowing California Merlot

How did I miss an blog post about such a cool wine?!?! I can’t believe I wrote this a year ago and am just finding it now. But…this means I have to find a bottle or two more!

So rarely does a bottle of wine make me stop; like full stop, nothing else matters. Even more rare is when a wine makes me want to hunt down a bottle to enjoy again.

Enter the Boyle Vineyards Merlot, 2016 vintage. I first tried it at the Femmes du Vin tasting in Halifax in September and I was blown away.

An intense burgundy red, moderate legs. Dried raspberries, sweet (bing) cherry, nutmeg, allspice and clove all jump right out of the glass on the first swirl. Medium oakiness and tannins that are both soft (not burny) and well structured. The palate is almost identical to the nose but with more dried fruit and cake notes, as well as some vanilla and toast.

The Bogle Vineyards is a sixth generation vineyard that’s super committed to sustainability, something that really resonates with me. Their 2018 vintage was 96% certified green, with even their grape growers adhering to these standards. They also have a female winemaker which is just cool on so many levels! They have 100% made it onto my must visit list for California wineries.