Pride Merlot

Posting 2 and 3 of 4 Related:

2004
Vintner Select Cuvee
Sonoma County
California

First, eatingplum.blogspot.com, your snowmen cake is so sweet! Nice job. I am so excited about Fondant. I should probably take a class too as I got so much from the informal shower lesson. I appreciate your comments - thank you. Your recipes look good too, especially the Tagliatelle - I will try to pair with wine. I'm thinking right off the cuff that the budget-friendly The Third Bottle white wine would probably accompany it well. However, I have a bottle of 2005 Kistler Chardonnay my uncle gave me that I am already thinking about what menu options to serve it with (however, not exactly budget-friendly).

On to my current review(s): I guess I have (2) wines to review here but I don't have enough info on the second bottle. After we had our Chardonnay but prior to dinner, Uncle Bob, knowing I'm a Merlot lover, brought out a bottle of Pride (incidentally, he sent one home with me too). This wine was excellent on it's own AND with our dinner. My aunt made a delicious Hearts of Palm salad (with Hearts of Palm, grape tomatoes, avocado, Feta cheese, and other delicious ingredients that escape me at the moment, served with a rasberry vinagrette) and we ordered a phenomenal pizza - pesto sauce, pignolia nuts, and Feta cheese.

The scent was "warm"and very inviting. Lots of oak, vanilla, and berry flavor with a "warm stone" finish were the main flavors I was hit with. I worried what the taste of dinner would do to the wine, but it stood up nicely to the various flavors and I thoroughly LOVED this wine.

I mentioned to Uncle Bob my disappointment in not finding a French Merlot that I was yet impressed with. I told him how I find most of the French reds "watered down" and I seem to definitely be more of a California girl. That prompted him to offer a taste test. Although I was completely happy with the Pride, I took part in the 1995 Pomerol Uncle Bob brought up from the wine cellar. It was very good. The immediate taste for me was definitely Earth. It's extremely different from the California. As Uncle Bob and I discussed, the California is all about the berry, and the French is all about the earth. Very interesting and fun. I still preferred the California.





















Looking for the right one unread
Needing to lighten the freight in my head
Here comes that sinking feeling again
Throw me a lifeline with no end
For time is robbing me blind
And gravity is not being kind
Sia's "Breathe Me" comes on the radio
And I think oh how appropos:

"Ouch I have lost myself again
Lost myself and I am nowhere to be found,
Yeah I think that I might break
I've lost myself again and I feel unsafe

Be my friend
Hold me, wrap me up
Unfold me
I am small
I'm needy
Warm me up
And breathe me"

9.0 out of 10
$56 - $63 / 750 ml bottle
14.6% alc. by vol.
Mountain Top Vineyard

I would have to give the Pomerol an 8.5 out of 10 (I'm sorry I can't recall the Chateau and my picture is too small to get further info off of).