Tonight I decided it was time to give Michigan another shot at red wine. We haven't done so well so far in the reds area, even though the Rieslings are fantastic. So I had a 2005 St. Julian Merlot and a 2005 Beaulieu Vineyards Merlot, both of which are in the < $10 category, neither of which are known for being show stoppers, so I figured it'd be a fair fight. I tasted them semi-blind; I have a horrible memory and while I did the labeling of "A" and "B" for the bottles and the glasses they were going into, by the time I finished making dinner and got around to tasting them, I'd completely forgotten which was which. 
Wine A: 2005 St. Julian MerlotWine B: 2005 Beaulieu Vineyard Coastal Estates Merlot
Meal: Salmon Foccacia
Tasting notes on the wine:
Wine A:
Color: 4/5Palish rusty... I can see my fingers through it. Good clarity, but paler than I expected.
Nose: 5/15
Lacking. Not really getting anything from it. Really have to dig my nose in there and breathe deeply to get anything, and what I'm getting is kind of like rusty iron with just the barest hints of some kind of indistinct fruit on it.
Flavor: 5/10
Mild flavor, again difficult to really pull anything out of it. Not unpleasant, but nothing remarkable about it. Toasty, with soft tannins and some plum.
Finish: 5/10
Finally something distinct on it, but not exactly what I think of for merlot. There was definitely a pink bubble gum taste, layered with twigs.
Aging: 2/5
Maybe needs more bottle time, or maybe this is as "good" as it gets. Don't think it'll last more than another year or two, but I'd drink it sooner rather than later, if at all.
Overall: 2/5
Not impressed. Drinkable, but just barely, and there's absolutely nothing special about it.
Total: 70pts
Wine B:Color: 5/5
Darker, much more in line with what it should be. Plum in color. Good saturation and clarity.
Nose: 6/15
Floral, but still lacking, and still very difficult to discern anything out of it. Some fruit, but nothing distinctive.
Taste: 6/10
A little hot. Soft tannins. Plum and cherry predominant, a little tart. Pleasant though, and the heat blows off in time.
Finish: 4/10
Dry. Very dry and short. There's just nothing to it. It's there for a moment, then gone.
Aging: 2/5
There's not really a backbone on this to age. Drink it if you've got it, probably won't hold up more than 2 or 3 more years.
Overall: 2/5
Like the previous, it's very forgettable. Not impressed. It's drinkable, and is the wine I have chosen to have with dinner.
Total: 75pts
No big shocker there. Mediocre wines, one just slightly better than the other, but the BV did work well with dinner, and all in all turned out to be a pleasant enough wine with food.Want to make this meal?
I purchased a pre-made veggie foccacia from my local grocery store - freshly baked today and topped with onion, red & green pepper, cheese... really great stuff. I popped open a can of salmon and spread it on top, then sprinkled a healthy dose of shredded mozzarella on top and sprinkled some parsley over it. Baked at 350 for 20 minutes, then cut it up and served like pizza.
Enjoy!
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