Quality of Merlot

[newsguy]

lucky,

if you hang around this board you'll quickly learn that innkeeper and WW really know their stuff (as do most of the regulars here).

as someone who's really just learning the ropes, i can offer a suggestion for two wines that are in that lower price range but probably a lot easier to find than the italian wine innkeeper mentioned and less expensive than those WW offered. i've found that 1997 markham napa valley is an excellent merlot that is readily available for about $19-20. big nose and taste of fruit and is ready to drink now (although it could probably age another 5-7 years i'd guess).

the other is the 97 casa lapostolle alexandre cuvee merlot, also costs about $20. while the markham is a fruit bomb, this is as heavy duty, knife-and-fork type merlot as any i've ever had. a dark, intense wine that definitely could use a few years of aging to mellow a bit. but i'm sure it would be worth the wait.

good luck with your purchase.