Available

Tasting notes

Wilridge Winemaker Paul Beveridge has been making Merlot from Red Mountain for more than twenty years.  Wilridge Merlot from Red Mountain has won more awards over the years than anyother Wilridge wine.  Here are some past reviews:  "92 Points.  One of the best American Merlots."  91 Points.  What Merlot should be."  "Wilridge is a perennial best-bet Merlot out of Washington." 

Merlot sales have been sluggish ever since the movie "Sideways" plugged Pinot Noir and dissed Merlot.  But Merlot is making a comeback now.  The Merlots from Washington are so enjoyable with food that they are making their way back to the table.  Merlot is a classic wine grape that will not stay out of style long (if it ever really went out -- Merlot is still America's favorite red wine).  Think of Chateau Petrus -- this classic right bank Bordeaux is a Merlot predominant blend.  And at the end of Sideways, when Miles sits alone at a fast food restaurant drinking his most prized wine out of a paper cup, the wine is a Merlot based Bordeaux!

Not the wimpy type

Wilridge Merlot from Red Mountain is never a wimpy Merlot.  It's a Merlot for people who like Cabernet Sauvignon -- powerful and tannic, but also balanced with nice fruit notes.  It also ages for years.  At Wilridge's Twentieth Anniversary Gala, Wilridge Red Mountain Merlots from the early 1990s were still not at their peak of maturity.  The 2006 is similarly an excellent candidate for long term cellaring.  Or drink it now with Ellensburg lamb.  Winemaker Paul Beveridge's favorite way to class up a barbecue is to serve Merlot with grilled burgers -- another perfect match.