Smarter than the Average Bear

Posted on May 17, 2009 by Sonadora

*Disclaimer: I received this wine as a sample from 4 Bears Winery.

I couldn’t resist a Yogi Bear reference with this wine since it’s from 4 Bears Winery.  I tried to work in a pic-a-nic basket reference, but had trouble figuring one out other than suggesting you drop a bottle of this wine in your next pic-a-nic basket! I chose the 2006 4 Bears Merlot from Sean Minor in Napa to drink the other night…with some bratwurst. Not the most inspired match, but eh, I can’t do gourmet every night 😉 The wine had a real cork closure, clocked in at 14.5% alcohol by volume, and retails for around $14.

I found this wine to be extremely tannic. It needed time, which isn’t really something I expect at the $14 price point.  I left it in my glass for a couple of hours and the alcohol blew off and the tannins mellowed.  On the nose I found plum, berries, cherries, pepper, chocolate, herbs, chili, and caramel.  In the mouth I got plums, herbs, blackberries, anise, and black cherries. Again, the tannins got me a bit in the mouth, but smoothed as I made my way through my glass.

Advertisement

Filed under: California, Merlot, Red, Wine | Comments Off on Smarter than the Average Bear