Beaulieu Vineyard (BV) Napa Valley Merlot 2017 750 ml

Beaulieu Vineyard's Napa Valley Merlot 2017 comes from the same Rutherford-rooted estate that Georges de Latour founded in 1900, here built around ripe Merlot fruit rather than the winery's better-known Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine spends time in oak, which shows up as cocoa and toasted vanilla layered over the core fruit. On the nose it leans into blackberry, plum, and dark cherry; the palate is rich and velvety, carrying dark fruit and a touch of spice through a long finish. It's an easy entry point into Napa Merlot for someone who wants BV's house style without reaching for the Cabernet.

How to drink Beaulieu Vineyard Napa Valley Merlot

Merlot's softer tannins mean this doesn't need the resting time a Cabernet would, pour it and drink within the hour. It's more forgiving with food than most reds on this list, working with roast chicken and mushroom dishes as easily as red meat, and a slight chill sharpens it up on a warm night.

MerlotNapa Valley