Silver Lake 2003 Reserve Merlot

*Bottle #1: Silver Lake Columbia Valley 2003 Reserve Merlot

*Price: $12

*Running Tab: $12

Regarding my numero uno blog review, I wanted to take a somewhat easy spin on my joyride of wine tasting so I went on what I thought was the plateau of red wines. I chose the Silver Lake Columbia Valley 2003 Reserve Merlot. This is a local for a Seattlelite such as myself and taking a road much traveled for me east of the mountains was a safe bet for this premiere. 

The Silver Lake 2003 Reserve Merlot bottle is right in my target price range and I've been to both the vineyard in Zillah, WA and the winery in Woodinville, WA - the two wine meccas of Washington state. The taste was familiar. 

I poured, swirled and spilt on my couch. Jamming the glass gracefully into my nose, I smelt bold, dark fruit aromas - like black cherries, a delicacy of Columbia Valley in early summer. Tasting the wine, I found a hint of oak (the merlot grape was aged for 28 months in oak barrels) in my sip as well as full-bodied fruit and a pinch of honey cloves. As I expected with a middle-grade intensity red wine, the Silver Lake Reserve Merlot had a harmonious balance of fruit and tannin. I found it soft, velvety and definitely ready to drink. 

I'm far from being a pairing-specialist but I thought this wine, since it was so balanced, would match awesomely with a strong cheese like brie or gouda and crackers. I tested and thought it paired swimmingly. I also did a test-run with chocolate chip cookies that passed with flying colors as well...

I'm not sure if this is a good note for the wine, but I liked it much more with my second glass.

Since this was my first review, I don't want to give too high of a rating on this bottle but I have no intention of discrediting the wine... 

Score: 6.5.

Cheers.