Arrowhead Red Meritage - Make Mine A Meritage Wine #5

35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot and 31% Cabernet Franc from Niagara Escarpment, New York.

Sample submitted for review. SRP of $16 and available for as low as $13.

From the bottle:

"Arrowhead Red is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot aged in oak barrels for 23 months. This robust and jammy wine pairs well with hearty dishes, like pasta and pizza. Blending varietals allows the winemaker to highlight the best each has to offer in a blend that is greater than any of its components.

Arrowhead Spring Vineyards is a sustainable winery located in Niagara County, NY. We specialize in hand crafted, traditionally made wines. We make our wines with an obsessive focus on quality and respect for the environment.

12.5% Alcohol"

Wow, two wines from New York State in the last week, and both delicious! While you may not necessarily think of wine when thinking of New York, maybe you should. New York is the 4th largest wine producing state in the U.S. and thanks to some of the unique micro-climates around places like the Finger Lakes and Niagara Falls, vineyards are able to thrive in this cold climate area. Granted with a shorter growing season they are more susceptible to bad weather and the consistency from year to year can be harder to maintain but, as they say, the proof is in the bottle -- and today's bottle makes a tasty introduction to red wine from New York.

The 2008 Arrowhead Spring Vineyards Arrowhead Red Meritage begins with a very nice, fragrant, complex aroma of black cherry, plum, a little raisin and a hint of dark chocolate and vanilla. Tasting the wine reveals lots of luscious jammy fruit, a silky smooth texture, fine tannins and good acidity. The jammy fruit is balanced nicely by sweet oak notes, vanilla and a bit of black pepper. It ends with surprising length. The wine was just as good on day 2. This is really an exceptional wine for the price, especially considering it comes from a smaller wine region that doesn't have the long growing seasons and economies of scale of bigger regions.

Wine in the "Make Mine A Meritage" series:

• Lyeth Meritage 2010 - Make Mine A Meritage Wine #1
• Hahn Winery Central Coast Meritage 2010 - This ain't no second class Bordeaux.
• Dry Creek Vineyard Sonoma County Meritage 2008 - Smooth Drinking Ahead!
• Fox Run Vineyards Meritage 2010 - Proof the Finger Lakes offers a lot more than Riesling.
• Arrowhead Red Meritage 2008 - It's easy to fall for this Meritage from Niagara.
• Dry Creek Vineyard The Mariner Meritage 2008 - Splice the mainbrace!
• Estancia Reserve Meritage 2009 - Sweet oak and rich fruit wrapped up in a smooth package.
• Kirkland Signature Rutherford Napa Valley Meritage 2011 - A Sure Thing!
• Chateau Ste Michelle Artist Series Meritage 2008 - A Work of Art
• Arrowhead Spring Vineyards Meritage Reserve 2008 - A blackberry patch in a bottle.
• Franciscan Estate Magnificat Napa Valley Meritage 2009 - Magnificent Magnificat.

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.