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Vintner Charles Smith is one of those artistic, flamboyant and eccentric characters that you sometimes cross paths with in the wine business. His whole idea is that winemaking and wine drinking are not rocket science or even brain surgery. "It's just booze; just drink it," is one of his mottoes. His demeanor and look is slightly off center too, like a Sammy Hagar with blond curls down to his shoulder blades (he once managed rock bands in Europe!). His wine labels are also odd, only in that in a sea of designer created and marketing driven labels, his stand out for simplicity, featuring black and white, almost wood-cut like illustrations and fanciful names like Kung Fu Girl, Holy Cow, Boom Boom and our wine of the week, Velvet Devil Merlot with a pitchfork on the label.
While the names of the wines (and the labels) are fanciful, the wine is not. In fact, Charles Smith was chosen as "Winemaker of the Year" in 2009 by Food and Wine magazine. He says his "wines are about putting as much into the bottle as possible." He certainly does stuff quite of lot of flavor into his bottle of Velvet Devis Merlot 2008, made from grapes grown in the Columbia Valley of Washington State. This Merlot is an extracted deep purple color with smokey and dark plum aromatics that are very pronounced. Lively and fresh and soft in the mouth at first, it stretches out on the mid palate with black plum, blackberry, vanilla and spice cake flavors that are straight forward and easily accessible. The lush and well rounded mouth feel coupled with the very fruit forward and easy drinking nature of this wine make for a smooth operator all the way to a lengthy finish. At last, a Merlot that actually tastes like a Merlot, and at a good price.
While the names of the wines (and the labels) are fanciful, the wine is not. In fact, Charles Smith was chosen as "Winemaker of the Year" in 2009 by Food and Wine magazine. He says his "wines are about putting as much into the bottle as possible." He certainly does stuff quite of lot of flavor into his bottle of Velvet Devis Merlot 2008, made from grapes grown in the Columbia Valley of Washington State. This Merlot is an extracted deep purple color with smokey and dark plum aromatics that are very pronounced. Lively and fresh and soft in the mouth at first, it stretches out on the mid palate with black plum, blackberry, vanilla and spice cake flavors that are straight forward and easily accessible. The lush and well rounded mouth feel coupled with the very fruit forward and easy drinking nature of this wine make for a smooth operator all the way to a lengthy finish. At last, a Merlot that actually tastes like a Merlot, and at a good price.
