Echelon Red Blend – A Fine Find For Pizza Night

A blend of predominately Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from California.
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SRP of $14 and available for around $12. Sample received courtesy Benson Marketing for review purposes.

From the bottle:

“From the sprawling coastline to the gently rolling hills enveloping lush vineyard laden valleys, Echelon is inspired by the best California has to offer. Delight in the the simple sophistication of this Red Blend to celebrate even the smallest of accomplishments. No victory is too small to reward yourself with a glass of Echelon Red Blend.

Opulent flavors of dense, jammy fruit, decadent mocha and dark chocolate are framed by notes of spicy black currant and rich black cherry. Hints of warm spice and herb notes round out this velvety, elegant wine.

13.0% Alcohol”

This is the second wine we’ve reviewed from Echelon, but unlike the Collection Series Russian River Valley Pinot Noir we covered previously, today’s wine is from the less expensive base Echelon line. We’ll have reviews of several more wines from this line coming soon, but the Red Blend is up first.

Red blends are big business in the under $20 market these days. Just check out the extreme popularity of wines like Apothic Red and Menage A Trois. There’s a lot to like about the interesting and unique flavors of many of these highly drinkable and highly affordable wines. So how does today’s wine measure up?

The 2010 Echelon Red Blend begins with a pleasant and very fruity aroma of black cherry, strawberry, raspberry and just a little spice. This easy to drink wine tastes light, simple and fruity and features a soft and smooth texture. There really isn’t anything all that sophisticated about this wine, but that’s perfectly OK. This would make quite a nice party wine that will appeal to a wide group of wine drinkers. The finish has good length with just a little hint of spice. An affordable option for pizza night!

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.

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