Reviews & Ratings

2010 Steven Kent Merlot "Small Lot Offering"

Winery: Steven Kent

Vintage: 2010

Wine Name/Vineyard: "Small Lot Offering"

Wine Category: Merlot

Grape blend: 100% Merlot

Bottle size: 750 ml

Region: Livermore Valley

State or country: CA

Price: $50

Cases produced: 70

KWG Score: 92 (based on 1 review)

Ken's Wine Rating: Very Good+ (92)

Review date: August 25, 2013

Wine Review: Steven Kent 2010 Merlot “Small Lot Offering” (Livermore Valley) 70 cases (92) $50 This dark ruby colored Merlot from Steven Kent opens with black cherry and menthol like bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, slightly acidic, and coats the mouth with flavors. Those flavors are ripe black cherry with notes of black pepper. I also detected hints of oak, plum, cola and touch of cinnamon. The finish is dry and its moderate, yet unobtrusive tannins stick around for quite some time. This is a Merlot you can enjoy with a steak. A New York strip came to mind first. Enjoy - Ken

Winemaker Notes: The 2010 Merlot is a wine of great elegance and charm. Filled with the aromas of red and black cherry, barrel spice, and black plum, the aromatics will only tend to blossom with more bottle-age-induced integration. In the mouth, this wine echoes the nose in flavors of black fruit and spicy oak. This wine has a capacious mouthfeel with great balancing acidity and length. Subtle notes of caramel and minerality also lend extra layers of complexity to this wine and the relatively firm tannins on the finish all conspire to produce a sense of vitality in the mouth. Given the wine’s medium weight, it should pair beautifully with white meats, stews, and hard cheeses. Very youthful now, I would suggest holding onto it for 24 months before drinking. Stored correctly, this wine should continue to blossom for up to a decade. Only 70 cases were produced in this vintage.

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