Wine, wine, wine

Over the holidays, my friend Carl handed me a gift bag and said "Have this one night with your husband, when you can just sit and relax and enjoy. This is one of my favorite bottles of wine." I didn't even open it. Instead, I tucked it away in our wine cellar and there it sat since last December. When I finally cracked it open last weekend, the bottle lived up to its promise. Shafer Merlot, a 2007 from the Napa Valley. My favorite wines all come from Napa and Sonoma and the wine was completely what I had hoped for. That deep rich color, the smokey, earthy and almost pungent taste that is is distinctly from that Northern California volcanic soil. I highly recommend this bottle for California Merlot lovers. I also had the priviledge of drinking Mariner, Dry Creek Vineyard, 2006 Meritage. This was a gift from my husband and comes from the Healdsburg and Sonoma region. Wonderful wine but the Shafer made a more lasting impression.

2007 Shafer Merlot Napa Valley 750ml