Wow! - or how we stopped worrying and learned to love the F**king Merlot

I had forgotten to mention I also picked up a bottle of white, a Rizzardi Pinot Grigio, which I've got before and I liked it again. It's crisp and fruity and very moreish (I hate that word but it's apt here).

Next up the big event, the Clos du Val Merlot 2006, as I mentioned in my previous post I am wary of pure New World Merlots given past experiences, although Clos du Val are a very respected winery and their Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon was one of the U.S. wines involved in the famous 1976 Judgement of Paris. I bought a bottle of this once, €44 reduced from €55 and it was up there with best Bordeaux and while expensive, is a fraction of the price of a Premier Cru for example.

Anyhoo, after about 90 minutes in the decanter, we had our first sip and boy howdy it was good. I didn't think it much like a right bank Bordeaux, it was softer, fruitier with a hint of spice. This was not a light wine though, it was rich and complex with a lingering finish and I felt it was more like a New World take on a St Emilion than an effort to ape it.

Even at full price (€22-95) I would buy this for a treat, at €16-95 it's a freaking steal. It makes me want to try the Zinfandel even more. Perhaps next weekend if I'm feeling flathúlach.