A very slight change in format - most posts will begin with formal notes from the first few hours of opening the bottle. Immediately after pouring two glasses, I recork the bottle, toss it in the fridge overnight, pull it out a couple hours before reopening and consume the rest the next day. The second day notes will have varying degrees of depth. A bit of a history lesson: this wine is called OOPS because for some time wines were coming out of Chile which were called Merlot – but something seemed amiss about it – after genetic testing, it turned out the “Merlot” was actually carménère – one of the orignal Bordeaux grapes that was presumed extinct (largely due to bugs, no less). This is a blend of Carménère and Cabernet Franc. I paid under $8, but don't recall exactly how much less.
Day One:
Earth and oak on the nose.
A lot of oak – too much – lots of spices, to a near unpleasant degree – cinnamon, basil, oregano – all sorts of green as well – bell peppers. In terms of fruit, maybe some black cherries but it's mostly just funk.
The oak lingers on the finish as well.
Day Two:
Oak and alcohol on the nose.
Very watery as it hits the palate – then some tannins come through – oak, mint, tobacco, and a slight bit of plum.
The alcohol is quite apparent on the finish as well as some minty flavors. I do not recommend this for mouthwash though.
Final thoughts:
You know, it's refreshing to have a cheap wine that I don't care for because of excessive green and funk versus it being too fruity and flabby. In fact, I'd be willing to wager that if I dumped out half a bottle of some cheap Sutter Home type Cabernet and mixed it with a half bottle of this, you'd probably have a pretty solid blend.
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