Nobilo should stick to the whites

House of Nobilo Merlot (2004)
Origin: New Zealand (East Coast)
Price: $11

Not mind-blowing. Not repulsive. Let's face it, we're talking about your typical merlot here. Sorry to be corny, but it's convenient that this one has "House" in its brand name. I could actually picture this wine as a restaurant's house merlot -- a very common varietal to order at a bar.

This merlot has some berry notes but also a good bit of earthiness, with hints of vanilla and oak. The thing I don't like is that you can really taste the alcohol -- not a very becoming quality for a wine. Over all, I'd consider this too expensive for the merlot that it is, and for the price, I'd prefer the Smashed Grapes merlot that I wrote about yesterday.

When it comes down to it though, I think the reality is that House of Nobilo is much better at making sauvignon blanc than merlot. If you haven't already, definitely try their sauvignon blanc. I keep going back to the notion that a brand usually shines in either a red or a white wine, and never both.