2016 Decoy Merlot Review
I was flirting with Decoy on Instagram last night and they recommended I try the Merlot because it’s #merlotme month or something so I’m a man of my word and went and got this duck wine. I think I have a new winery to add to my daily drinker list, y’all.
Here is a bit of history with me and Merlot - to quote the movie Sideways, “If anyone orders Merlot I am leaving. I am not drinking fucking Merlot!” I have found many Merlots to be heavy, jammy and lacking in the well-roundedness of many other varieties. Maybe I just sucked at picking wine over that period of time (I probably still suck) but it was disappointment after disappointment.
Merlot, however, has made a comeback over the past few years and it has allowed me to venture off into some great offerings. In fact, the #1 wine on last year’s Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines was a merlot from DUCKHORRNNN (2014 Duckhorn Three Palms Vineyard Merlot which I had and I recommend it sitting for a couple more years but that’s for another review). Since this is a merlot by an extended family I figured it had to be decent.
The nose on this is full of, no joke, red delicious apples and cigars. I get strong hints of both of those things but it could be the pile of meth I just did. Speaking of, who the hell just decides that they’re going to do meth? I can’t imagine waking up and being like, “Today is the day I try meth.” There’s never been a success story from going on a three day meth-bender unlike cocaine where you can make millions on the stock market by not sleeping for weeks on end. Anyway, the nose on this wine is nice.
The taste is even better - it’s incredibly light on the palate (little tannins) but boasts vibrant dark cherry and raspberry flavors. A new metric I’m going to start using is how fast my wife and I power through it - this bottle got killed, y’all and it’s because it’s really good. The only negative is the finish fades off like the faux sadness for Anthony Bourdain but that’s what separates these wines from the upper tier that Darryl huzzahs about.
Give Decoy a try and you will not be disappointed. This is a fabulous wine and underpriced at $17. Yo, Decoy - I will totally be your spokesperson and will fill my house with Decoy wine.