2007 Cameron Hughs Lot 192 Napa Valley Merlot

Hello all!! We had this wine a few nights ago with pork chops and cherry sauce. This was a very, very nice pairing. The color on this wine was deep purple-ruby. The aromas were of vanilla, toasted oak, and raspberry. The raspberry darkened into blackberry as the wine opened. The flavor profile was similar and developed into blackberry, dark cherry, vanilla and a touch of cocoa. The tannins were soft and plush, but became firmer as the wines opened. And the finish started as a little short, but lengthened nicely as it opened. As expected with a merlot, this was very fruit forward and not too complex, but very enjoyable, especially with the cherry sauce on the pork chops. At $13 a bottle at Ashes, I think I'll get some more for everyday drinking. Merlots pair nicely with fruit sauces such as this, but also with spicy foods, so we're drinking them more than in the past.