Clovis Point 2004 Merlot: Much More than Fruit

While beautiful fruit flavors in a wine can make anyone from a wine tasting novice to a sommelier swoon, it's picking the flavors the average person doesn't realize a wine can exhibit that make the art of exploring wine so much fun. Here's a good example.

The wine: 2004 Merlot, and inky purple, dark wine that's made up of 77 percent merlot, 20 percent cabernet franc, 1.5 percent cabernet sauvignon and 1.5 percent petit verdot. It's aged for 14 months in a mix of French and Hungarian oak before being bottled.

Aromas (Nose): Fruity scents of dried plum and dried current mix with aromas of black tea with hints of spearmint, dry oak and wet stone.

Taste (Palate): Loads of ripe black plum, black cherry and dried currant flavors mix with hints of coffee – a medium, bright blend like Kona – with bitter cocoa emerging on the long finish. Dusty oak flavors are well-balanced by the juicy fruit and light tannins.

Food pairing: Would go well with a nice braised brisket recipe, like this one from Epicurious.com.

Price: $21 at the tasting room.