A mini-vertical of Washington State Merlot perfection! Save over $30 a bottle on these two Bulk Buy rated beauties, the 2019 and 2021 Desert Wind Heritage Series Merlot.
Washington State is one of our very favorite spots for Merlot in the entire world, and today we have two of the best examples from reader favorite Desert Wind Winery.
And when we say reader favorite, we mean it! Check out the reviews on our last Desert Wind Insider Deal that included the 2019 vintage of this reserve level Merlot along with two other (non-reserve) wines:
Here’s what’s included in today’s deal:
- Two bottles of the $45 2019 Desert Wind Heritage Series Merlot. This is a beautiful, smooth, juicy, dusty example of the variety from two of the best blocks in the Desert Wind estate vineyard in the Wahluke Slope. Aged 19 months in neutral French oak, only 325 cases were produced, and we score it at 94+ points.
- Two bottles of the newly released $58 2021 Desert Wind Heritage Series Merlot made from the best Merlot block in the vineyard and aged 20 months in a combination of new and neutral French oak. Thanks to a difficult growing season the production is 20% lower at just 260 cases, but as is often the case in these situations as yields go down, the quality goes way up. This one is looking to be something extra special. It also easily gets a Perfect 10 Taste Rating (94+ points).
With these small case productions there’s not much of these wines to go around, so if you want to get some, you know what to do…
For the next day you can get the Desert Wind Heritage Series Merlot 4-Pack (2 bottles of the 2019 plus 2 bottles of the 2021) for just $XX.95 ($XX.XX/bottle). That’s a discount of XX% saving you $XXX (an average of $XX per bottle)!
Shipping and Ordering Info
This 4-pack deal is available to ship to the following states: AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TX, VA, WA, WI and WY. (These states are dependent on the individual licenses of the offering winery and are not representative of all our deals. Every deal can have different, sometimes more, sometimes less, states available.)
Shipping is a flat $7.99 per order, no matter how many packs you buy. Orders will ship via UPS Ground 5-10 days after the deal ends. If this is your first time ordering please check out the shipping section of our FAQ for more information.
For your convenience you also have the option to select a UPS Store/Access Point to ship to at checkout (with no extra fees) so you don’t have to be home to sign!
Read on for our full reviews.
Clicking on the Add To Cart button above will take you to our checkout at shop.reversewinesnob.com. Once there you can adjust the quantity of 4-packs in your order. Ends Friday 3/6/2026 at noon (PT).
Let’s take a look at the 2019 Desert Wind Heritage Series Merlot first. You will receive two bottles in today’s 4-pack.
From the winery:
2019 Desert Wind Heritage Series Merlot
Washington Reserve Merlot
Wahluke Slope AVAWINEMAKING NOTES: The 2019 growing season started off slow due to winter storms that lasted into February, but consistently warm and sunny days in the summer put growth back on track. The overall heat accumulation remained just above average for Washington. Overall, the 2019 vintage showcased a fairly typical vintage in the area, which is a good sign for the consistency and quality of the resulting wines. The Heritage Series Merlot is made from two of our best blocks in our estate vineyard, which we believe best show a unique expression of Merlot in Washington. The grapes were harvested in October and fermented in open top bins, then aged for 19 months in neutral French oak barrels.
TASTING NOTES: Plum confiture, dark cherry marmalade, and cinnamon stick. Swirling brings orange peel and baked apples. The mouthfeel is very round and almost sweet, with beautiful texture, fine tannins, and pleasant acidity. Flavors of black licorice and baking spice come along with a very juicy palate. A beautiful expression of Merlot from a warm site that you can enjoy now or in the next 10 years.
Varietal Blend: 75% Merlot, 15% Syrah, 9% Carménère and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon
AVA: Wahluke Slope, WA
Aging: 19 months in neutral oak and stainless steel
Production: 325 casesProduced and Bottled by Desert Wind Winery
14.5% Alcohol
Cork
And now on to our review:
The 2019 Desert Wind Heritage Series Merlot opens with a very harmonious and inviting aroma of dark berry fruit, beautiful baking spice, a little licorice and touches of graphite.
Tasting reveals the wine to be beautifully smooth, round and mouth-filling. It features similar flavors to the nose with great depth on the beautiful, juicy fruit. And it gets even better as it has more air.
Dusty tannins lead into the dry, long, juicy, grippy and satisfying finish. It was just as good on day 2. Excellent! This is a wonderful example of Merlot from one of the very best spots for it.
2019 DESERT WIND HERITAGE SERIES MERLOT
Taste: 10 (94+ points) Cost: 3
OVERALL RATING: 8.3
BULK BUY
Next, let’s take a look at the 2021 Desert Wind Heritage Series Merlot. You will receive two bottles in today’s 4-pack.
From the winery:
2021 Desert Wind Heritage Series Merlot
Washington Reserve Merlot
Wahluke Slope AVAWINEMAKING NOTES: The 2021 growing season was one of the warmest we’ve had in recent years. With close to 40 days over 100 degrees and very little rainfall all summer, it was certainly a difficult year for grapes. Yields were down between 10-30% in most areas, but what we did get was unmatched in quality. We ended the harvest about two weeks sooner than average due to the high temperatures, and overall, our first harvest under new ownership and with our new winemaking team went by smoothly. We are so pleased with the direction Desert Wind is heading, with an increase in quality, value, and varietal and terroir expression that is evident with the 2021 vintage and beyond. The 2021 Heritage Series Merlot was made from our best Merlot block in our estate vineyard, which we believe best shows our unique expression of Merlot from the Wahluke Slope. Each variety was fermented separately then thoughtfully blended and aged for 20 months in new and neutral French oak barrels.
VINEYARD NOTES: The Wahluke Slope AVA is located in south-central Washington and is considered one of the warmer regions in the state. Our 480 acre Desert Wind Estate Vineyard is south-facing, with a gradual two percent slope ranging from 800 to 1,000 feet in elevation. The deep, rocky soil allows for excellent drainage, stressing the vines and allowing focused energy on fruit production. The resulting wines are highly pigmented and have excellent tannin structure.
TASTING NOTES: Dark red. Black cherry, black olives, bacon fat, menthol, and tangerine peel. The nose is complex, with lots of savory and earthy components. The mouthfeel is remarkably textured and extremely balanced. Dark red and black fruits, oak spice, dark chocolate, and herbs dominate the mid-palate. The wine finishes juicy but very concentrated, with powdery tannins, beautiful acidity, and a savory touch. Drink now or in the next 15 years.
Composition: 90% MERLOT, 10% SYRAH
AVA: WAHLUKE SLOPE, WA
Aging: 20 MONTHS IN NEW & NEUTRAL FRENCH OAK
Production: 260 CASESProduced and Bottled by Desert Wind Winery
14.2% Alcohol
Cork
And now on to our review:
The 2021 Desert Wind Heritage Series Merlot is overall quite similar to the 2019, it’s just a little younger with a bit more oak influence at this point. That is thanks to the new French oak that was used in this vintage (the 2019 was all neutral oak) which also increases the long term potential of this wine, in our opinion. That’s impressive given how good the 2019 is.
It opens with the same very harmonious and inviting aroma of of the 2019 (dark berry fruit, beautiful baking spice, a little licorice and touches of graphite) along with some added touches like cedar and mint.
Tasting reveals the wine to be beautifully smooth, round and mouth-filling, with a bit more tannic grip and spiciness than the 2019. It features similar flavors to the nose with great depth on the beautiful, juicy fruit.
Dusty tannins lead into the dry, long, juicy, grippy, savory and satisfying finish. As a testament to its youth, it keeps on improving as it has more air and was even a bit better on day 2.
Delicious already, this looks like it could be something extra special in a few years. Don’t be afraid to tuck a couple bottles away for a decade or so – according to the winery (and we agree) you’ve got at least another 15 years to drink it!
Cheers,
Jon
2021 DESERT WIND HERITAGE SERIES MERLOT
Taste: 10 (94+ points) Cost: 3
OVERALL RATING: 8.3
BULK BUY
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Get the Desert Wind Heritage Series Merlot 4-Pack while you can! It ends Friday 3/6 at noon Pacific.
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Both vintages of this merlot are quite tasty. I drank the 2019 as soon as it arrived, the 2021 a few weeks later (just last night). I thought the 2019 was not as full-bodied in flavor as I expected, but still smooth and juicy with dark fruit flavors and a long lingering finish. The 2021 seemed a bit more flavorful, slightly fuller in the nose and mouth. It also lingered long after swallowing, maybe not quite as long as the 2019. Overall both were what I expected in a Washington merlot and good value.
