Trinchero Family Merlot 2003

"I cook with wine; sometimes I even add it to food."
- W. C. Fields







Trinchero Family
2003 Merlot
Monterey County
Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $11.99
Rating: 6.5 out of 10


When the bottle was first opened, the room filled with an immediate grapey aroma and I thought "Oh, this is going to be good." But it wasn't for me. It was disappointing. I think the "Two Buck Chuck" Shiraz might have had a little more going for it. It first tasted strong, then really dry and bitter, followed by a thin grapiness which then turned into a metallic (think aluminum can) taste - YUCK! I hate that. All right, it was probably on par with the Two Buck Chuck due to its stronger immediate taste.


http://www.trincherowinery.com/

[The Guy's take]

7 out of 10
Would try a different year

This wine was not as bad as the first impression The Gal wrote... at least that's what I keep telling myself. When I bought it, I thought, Hmmm... nice label, Montery Country Merlot, 2003 vintage... It should be ok.

Contrary to the "Yuck" adjective used earlier, I'll say the wine was a bit musty, giving you that earthen smell in the glass. When you take a sip and let it sink in, the fruit is palpable, but the mustiness and the woody aroma is hard to get past.

While I generally prefer wines with this deep earthen smell to go along with the "tannins" most wines are supposed to have, I have to say the thing that stands out about this wine is it was very drinkable with a smooth finish. It didn't have a long finish, but it did have the same "bite" for me like it did for the Gal.

It's easy to see that this wine could be overpowered by spicey food, but you would think it would be complimentary to that type of meal.

From an online description of the Trinchero winery:

In 1948, Mario Trinchero brought his wife, two sons and daughter across America from New York City to the small town of St. Helena in California's Napa Valley. The year before, Mario and his brother John, emigrants from Italy in the 1920s, had purchased a long-abandoned winery called Sutter Home. As the Trincheros begin their second 50 years in the California wine business, they have set themselves a new challenge: to use their sizeable resources to produce wines that rival the finest made in Napa Valley, wines that will honor the memory of their father. The name of this new brand is M. Trinchero.

When I was hunting around for more info on this wine, there were a number of good things said about the reserve and the 2004. So it probably makes sense to try another from this vintner.