Back before Miles and Sideways, when it was fashionable for ordinary people to order a glass of Merlot with a meal, the 2005 Tin Roof Merlot is what you wished they had served you instead of the marginal, overpriced swill that left you wondering what all the fuss was about (Merlot? Why is it the pretty people are all drinking Merlot?)
The 2005 Tin Roof Merlot breaks the rule. You know The Rule.
TWC Rule 7: The quality of any wine is inversely proportional to the cool factor of the label.
The wine is immediately tasty on the palate and is a perfect wine to serve for the holidays. Soft and easy for the casual wine drinker yet robust enough to satisfy an ordinary wino. Tin Roof is a smooth, easy going, medium-bodied wine. It's blended with just enough Cabernet and Petite Sirah to keep it interesting. Priced right at $6.00-$10.00 US, it's a perfect wine for the occasional wine drinker and works wonderfully for those of us who are always on the prowl for a good, everyday house wine. Down side? That ghastly composite closure. Don't start now, God obviously intended natural cork. Why else would He have planted all those cork oak trees in Portugal? Well? [taps foot insistently].
Winemaker's Notes:
Our 2005 Merlot offers ripe, luscious black cherry and plum fruit aromas and
flavors characteristic of the Merlot variety, enhanced by hints of tobacco,
herbal spice and chocolate. With smooth, supple tannins and a long, rich finish,
it pairs especially well with grilled red meats, herb-roasted chicken, pork
chops, red-sauced pastas and flavorful hard cheeses
Sidebar: I'd been cutting and fitting an oak plywood bar top, which created a lot of oak sawdust. After the cleanup, Mrs TWC laid out a plate of crackers, avocado, peppers, & swiss while I opened a bottle of Tin Roof. The wine was pretty good although it was a little heavy on the oak, which in turn often translates into vanilla. Today I realize I'd been snorting oak sawdust all afternoon, which affected how the wine tasted. The obvious lesson here is that wine tasting is always subjective, no matter who wags a finger and says differently. Certainly there are better wines and lawn pourin' wines, but the atmosphere, the company, the sawdust, the food, and the mood all conspire to enhance or detract from the experience and enjoyment of the wine.
You always wondered what she said?
Tin Roof. Rusted.
As Ever,
TWC
