how do you know?

[*newbie*]

OK..today I was in Cincinnati and decided to go to the local have it all wine store (Jungle Jims....anyone ever been there?) I had my mind made up I was going to purchase some wines and try them out over the next couple weeks. I purchased three different types/brands and I would like your "expert" opinions and feedback.

1. Frogs Leap 1997 Merlot from Napa Valley
2. Willamette Valley 1996 Pinot Noir from Oregon (duh!)
3. (Don't laugh at me) Beringer's 1998 Merlot.

Now, since I am brand new at this selecting of the wine I didn't have a whole lot to go on other than my books I purchased. The reason I purchased what I did was based on the books recommendations, which were real vague and only gave good regions for certain grapes/wines in the US. Since the Frogs Leap and Willamette Valley were a little pricier than the Beringer I decided to save those for later and try the Beringer. I like the Beringer's taste compared to a Hogue Merlot I had earlier in the week. The Beringer seemed a lot smoother and had a wonderful Plum taste and was slightly dry. The Hogue seemed strong and had a very "hot" finish. All in all I sorta like the Beringer. I would like something to compare my tasting to so if any of you have tried the Beringer Merlot please tell me if you thought it tasted cheap, bland, hot etc. Thanks in advance for your opinions. I will post my tastings on the others when I uncork them. Oh, one last question. How does on know when a wine is best left for a couple years?

Doug

[Innkeeper]

Hot is usally caused by the amount of alcohol. What was the percentage on the bottle?

[winoweenie]

Hi Doug. Youse` comin` along fine. The Beringer is IMHO a far superior drink to the 98 Houge(sorry buck-i-poo) Frogs Leap Should be even more fun (as their motto says>>Time`s fun when you`re havin` flies") CCK or Bucko needs to help on the Oregon Pinot.Good drinkin and a very Happy!! winoweenie

[janrob]

Newbie
Never apologize for buying anything from Beringer. Good choice. The 1998 Founders Merlot was reviewed by
www.winelife.homestead.com and was given a rare 'Outstanding Value'. Check October 'reds' and 'top values'. That's at $19.95 CDN