The Blackstone Sonoma Reserve Merlot 2005 offers pleasing aromas of fresh raspberry, black currant, clove and vanilla with a hint of earthiness. The wine is full-bodied with layers of bright red fruit, coffee and clove, finished with nice, well-integrated structure and a velvety mouthfeel. Try serving this soft and silky wine with beef or pork tenderloin, cassoulet, sausage, pizza or beef ravioli.

The breakdown of the varietals present are: 76% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petite Sirah, 5% Syrah, 3% Teroldego. While some of those are prettty small percentages, I think they add to the overall balance of the bottle. Overall I found the taste to be very appealing,  I though much better than the “regular” Blacksone Merlot, which I found to be a bit harsh. At a price point of $13.99, it’s not a bad first bottle at a cozy byob.

This wine went very well with dinner, which was cheese tortellini from Trader Joe’s and a red mushroom sauce. I could see grabbing this wine as an inexpensive bottle to take out to dinner where you may not know the menu,  or if you are looking for a safe bottle.    I tasted a pleasing flavor of berries and something dark,  which I could not quite place.  Overall I would give this a strong B+ rating,  scoring well on it’s nice bouquet, clarity, and smoothness.  I believe I will pickup a bottle or two of this wine and let it sit in the cellar for a bit of time, it could be interesting to see how this one does with some age.