New Wine Lover Here

[Greyraptor]

Well I must say that I am glad I discovered this diamond mine of wine knowledge. I have read many good postings and I lood forward to reading many more. I am very new to the world of wine and have been to a few wineries here in Virginia with pleasant memories from each.

I have a question for someone that knows about Virginia wine. At Barboursville Vineyards I purchased a bottle of Octagon 2004. It is based on "Merlot and other bordeaux varietals" as they would tell you, which means nothing to me for now, never having drank a bordeaux varietal that I know of. I know I like Merlot, but what should I expect from this wine? They say that I should wait until at least 2010 to open. I anticipate the wait. In the meantime I had the pleasure of drinking a 2002 Campo Eliseo Toro tempranillo which so far has been the BEST wine I have ever tasted in my short experience. What other wines should I try that compare with the Campo but don't carry the hefty $75 price tag?

[Innkeeper]

Hi Greyraptor, and welcome to the Wine Board. The Octagon is a proprietary wine based on what are know as East Bank Bordeaux. These are blends with Merlot forward although Cabernet Franc can occur in almost equal quantities. All the info on your Octagon indicates that it consists of Merlot and "others." What others we can only guess. I think Cab Franc would be one good guess. The others could be anything.

There is a nationwide group known as the American Meritage Association. They require a Meritage blend to be of strictly Bordeaux grapes which include those mentioned as well as Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and one or two others for a red wine.

Whether or not your wine qualified as an American Meritage or not is unknown. It might qualifiy and they chose not to use the term, or they may be using some completely different grapes. You might call or email them and ask.

If they recommend a hold to 2010 I would do it. Be sure it is in a cool, humid place.

Please peruse our Spanish thread for many good ideas for wines to try in at many price points from under $10 to the sky.

[Kcwhippet]

I would think that Octagon is NOT a Meritage. It's usually made from Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Nebbiolo. As IK said, a Meritage can only be made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petite Verdot and Malbec (for the red). It doesn't have to have all five varietals, but those are the only grapes allowed, and Nebbiolo isn't one of them.