Wine Each Week – Seven Hills Winery 2016 Merlot

When Walla Walla Valley became its own AVA in 1981, there were two dozen wineries. Currently there are over 930 in Washington State. Seven Hills itself was established in 1988 and their initial plantings were Cabernet and Merlot. That provenance is clear when you taste this Merlot.  Blended with 11% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 was aged 16 months in barrel. The result is a lovely wine that offers blackberry, boysenberry, black cherry, vanilla, hints of tobacco, mocha and dusty spice. That this wine is a mere $25 for a Merlot of this quality shows winemaker Casey McClellan’s judicious use of his estate fruit and an understanding that Merlot need not be a bulk wine in a fancy wrapping. If Merlot is not on your list, this will entice you to rethink it, and Seven Hills gives verifiable proof that quality Merlot still exists.

ORIGIN: Walla Walla Valley, Washington State

ALCOHOL: 14.4%

PRICE: $25/ 750ML

SCORE: 91 POINTS

Seven Hills