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Fifty Provinces Merlot
750ml
$4.99
+CRV
Mix 6 for $4.49 each
*Price, vintage and availability may vary by store.
*Price, vintage and availability may vary by store.
Product Highlights
La Mancha, Spain - A bright and fresh nose opens to a lovely palate of wild strawberry with a hint of rose notes. Rich and round with a beautiful finish. Pair this easy everyday Merlot with roasted meat or have on its own. This Merlot overdelivers in every way!
StrawberryCherryFloral
Product Details
OVERVIEW
Geography
The enormous La Mancha DO is Spain’s, as well as Europe’s, largest designated quality-wine area, with close to half a million acres under vine in Central Spain. About three-quarters of that acreage is planted with Airén, a white grape traditionally used in Spain to make brandy.
Now newer producers are braving the prairie-like region’s baking-hot summers and brutally cold winters to develop a wide range of high-quality table wines. Excellent reds produced from Tempranillo, Monastrell (known as Mourvèdre in France) and other native grapes are now commonly exported from La Mancha, as are some crisp, fruity, aromatic white wines made with Airén and Viura varieties. Look to La Mancha for great values in modern Spanish winemaking.
Varietal / Type
Winemakers love Merlot grapes because they are easy to grow and quick to ripen. Casual wine drinkers appreciate that Merlot wines can be soft and approachable, with delicious dark fruit flavors. In Merlot blends, the grapes add a moderating influence, providing measured tannins, soft texture, medium acidity and medium alcohol. Accordingly, Merlot balances the more rustic and herbaceous qualities of Cabernet Sauvignon, a frequent blending partner.
Merlot can also make complex, full-bodied and concentrated wines with grippy tannins and aging potential. Many connoisseurs consider the best Merlot wine to come from Bordeaux’s Right Bank, where the varietal predominates in wines from St.-Émilion, Pomerol and other renowned appellations. Merlot is also blended to excellent effect with the other red Bordeaux varieties, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.