2007 Kirkland Napa Valley Meritage

This is a blend of mostly Merlot, a good chunk of Cab Sauv, and just a splash of Cab Franc.

A bit of heat on the nose, black fruit - cassis and plum mostly, though - and this may sound strange -a raw chicken sorta thing.

Smooth and balanced, though not exactly complex - plum, blueberry, black cherry, vanilla. This is a solid middle of the road red, the kind of wine you can pop open and eat with anything from pizza to a steak and be set.

Blueberry lingers and way way on the back end some cherry.

Eleven bucks? Beyond sold - snag it.

Score: 87

2006 Estancia Paso Robles Meritage Reserve

This is a blend of 58% Cab, 34% Merlot, and 8% Petit Verdot. We've had a few of this producer's wines before, including a previous vintage of this one that we dug (not reviewed here though). The retail is about $25.

A plum sorta nose...cassis as well. In fact, this strikes me as textbook cassis.

The thing that struck me about this wine was how approachable it was on pop and pour - everything was nicely integrated and it was drinking fine. Blackberry, vanilla, oak.

The finish has lingering blackberry and vanilla, combined in a Blizzard aftertaste sort of way. You know, the last time I went to Dairy Queen they didn't have blueberry Blizzards anymore. WTF DQ?

It's tasty, perhaps a safe bet if you find it priced reasonably on a restaurant wine list, but I can't say it's exciting or all that interesting when pondered.

Score: 86

2007 Dr. Jebediah Drinkwell's Meritage

This is a Trader Joe's exclusive blend - 60% Cab Franc, 27% Merlot, 11% Cab Sauv, 1% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot - quite a bit in there and strangely dominated by Cab Franc, no? Eight bucks, fun label - yep, sold.

Plum and black raspberry on the nose.

The palate brings a bit of menthol, mint, and cherry - almost like a cherry/mint toothpaste with a bit of cough syrup. Tannins are present, but the alcohol, acid, and tannins do come off a tad harsh. There's a somewhat off putting medicinal quality here - it's not all that bad, but it's definitely not great.

Cherry, or perhaps even ultra ripe farmer's market style strawberry, on the finish lingering with clove and tobacco.

It seems to me that the better Trader Joe's exclusive wines tend to be white - and to a lesser extent sparkling. The reds tend to be weak - here's an example.

Score: 78

2005 Kirkland Napa Valley Meritage

A Costco find for something like $12 – I don't know if I've ever seen a Meritage for under $15, so let's take a look.

The nose on this one is tight – maybe some vague earthy qualities and berries, but I can't pinpoint much – after being open for a couple hours, I'm definitely getting some carob.

A nicely balanced wine to be sure – spice, fruit, and oak are all in good harmony here. A little bit of green pepper, some clove notes, bing cherry, and nice smooth smokey oak. Somewhat tannic at first but it really faded into a smooth, easy drinking wine after a few hours.

The finish presents some plum along with some linger sweet oak.

No issues at all with the $12 pricetag.