2009 Blackstone Winemaker's Select Merlot

Hello everyone!! I believe I am behind the curve on this one. I have seen this wine numerous times on restaurant wine lists, and I have passed on it. My loss! I'm actually not a big Merlot person, having been introduced to wines through my husband and the rest of his Italian family. So, the whole Merlot thing completely passed me by. However, recently I have been using a new cookbook that suggests wine pairings with the recipes and they suggest a lot of California wines, such as Merlot. I've been enjoying the velvety smooth, fruit forward, delicious and uncomplicated pleasures of Merlot. This wine very much fits that description. The color was a deep ruby red. The nose was somewhat aromatically challenged with light oak and vanilla and not much fruit. The flavor was very cherry, a little blueberry, vanilla and a little touch of licorice on the finish. What made this wine so enjoyable was the smooth creaminess. The tannins were smooth and mellow (we did open it 30 to 60 minutes before dinner, so it had a good bit of time to breath). We had this wine with pork chops in Merlot sauce, roasted cauliflower, and rice pilaf. It was a very good pairing, almost guaranteed by using some of the wine to make the sauce. It was also extremely good with little squares of dark chocolate. I know this is a simple wine, but it's so delicious and uncomplicated! It's like that guy you hang out with that makes no demands of you, just easygoing, no fuss. At $10 a bottle at Campbell Station Wines, this will probably become my go to everyday Merlot. It would also be great for parties, or for friends that aren't necessarily wine drinkers. You might turn some of them on to the pleasures of wine.