Salmon Creek Merlot

This Salmon Creek Merlot review covers price, alcohol content, aroma, taste and more of this Merlot from Sonoma, California.

Salmon Creek Merlot and other wines from Salmon Creek Cellars are primarily marketed to restaurants and hotels.  However, it’s not uncommon to find them in stores as well.  I rarely find the 750ml bottles in the stores.  Normally what I find are the 1.5 liter bottles of this wine.

Salmon Creek Cellars is part of the Bronco Wine Company.  And, according to Salmon Creek, this wine is actually a blend of Merlot, Segaline and other “mixed reds.”

The winemaker is Bob Stashak.

Salmon Creek Merlot Review

I received “tasting assistance” from a good friend of mine.  He’s helped out with several other reviews and his palate is astute.

For this review, we tasted the 2012 vintage.

In the glass, this Merlot is deep Burgundy in color.  When first poured, the wine was lacking in legs.  However, after some time we noticed short and slow falling legs.

Between the two of us we described the aroma as “smoky berries” and “cherry tobacco.”

We described the flavor of Salmon Creek Merlot as a dark, almost sweet, black cherry.  We also noticed a slight alcohol burn in the breathe out.

Salmon Creek Merlot alcohol content 12.5% by volume, per the bottle.

The wine has a thin mouthfeel.  Tannins were grippy.  I noticed them on the inside lip whereas my friend said he felt them on the center of his tongue.

Finish was long with the cherry flavors carrying through to the end.

We both liked Salmon Creek Merlot a lot.  The flavors were enjoyable and the wine is well balanced overall.

For me, this Merlot is one of my house wines.  The price for Salmon Creek Merlot is $10.00, which is a steal in my opinion.  Keep in mind, this is the price for the bigger 1.5 liter bottle.

Given the great flavors and the fact that this wine is very popular in restaurants, this wine is an excellent value.  Recommend!