Santa Rita 120 - Merlot @@@ (3 Corks)

Retails: $6.99 (Total Wine)

A friend of mine recently gave me a very useful gift as a birthday present: a wine journal. This one made its way to me by way of Williams & Sonoma, which was coincidentally this same friends' choice for her wedding registry (affordable? um, no.)

This gracious present has actually been extremely useful. As of recent times, I'm back on the road pretty much full time. Thankfully, for the time being, I'm as local as a half hour away so I'm still privileged to have some time at home.

This economic climate has not fared well in the world of video and unfortunately, as previously mentioned in some of my entries, half of our team has been thrown to the wayside. I'm fortunate to be kept afloat, however, it comes at a high price to my leisure time. This wine journal has provided a sacred place to store my opinions an thoughts on each bottle I'm too pressed for time to write about in real-time.

This Merlot comes my way via Chile, although lacking body in flavor, this varietal provides a strong variety of flavors -- slightly wheat smell, some concord grape taste with peppery accents and a very dry finish. It tends to leave a pucker-y flavor on the palette so for those of you who prefer a less tannin-infused wine, this is certainly not for you.