Hold up, I know you’re thinking “That’s a grocery store brand”…

True - and you know what? Markham Merlot is one of the BEST values in Merlot at your local shop. Full stop.

But you won’t find this at your local shop. These are Wine Club wines.

Priced far above their entry level offering, this goes for $75 at the winery. But for $35 today. 53% OFF we brought it back to earth.

Wine Spectator rated the 2021 vintage a 97-point “classic” for Napa Merlot.

Notice the plural? Later today we have the same vintage from a different Napa district. Hence the ‘District Series’ in the name.

Markham represents one of Napa Valley’s longest continually run wineries. And they’re known for making absolutely bonkers-good Merlots.

For the wine club, they venture into different “districts” to show off the nuances, styles, and unique characteristics of the grape.

This one comes from the Ranch Vineyard in Yountville.

2021 was a low-yield, intensely aromatic vintage for Merlot. Decanter’s Vintage Report calls 2021 “a future classic” vintage for reds.

AND despite what a certain movie did to the Merlot landscape back in 2004…!!! It STILL is the second most planted red wine grape on planet Earth. Right behind Cabernet Sauvignon. Worldwide.

That fleshy mid palate you love in your Cabernet blends, your Super Tuscans, your big reds?

Yup…you guessed it… that’s probably Merlot bringing it all together! That first taste, that mid palate that just makes you think YES, I love this wine!

And getting back to the movie, which nearly killed it all….

You know the one…the famous scene. The guy loses his s#!t (mind) in a diner over a wine list. Swears off a certain grape for life. Sideways. It genuinely dented Merlot sales for decades! Economists studied it and gave it a name: The Sideways Effect.

Markham didn’t care. Markham’s been a Merlot house since the early 80’s. As one of the Valley’s longest continually run wineries, they have never stopped innovating.

Back in the 1800s, Jean Laurent founded the property. He built a stunning Stone Cellar waaaaay before it was cool. He pushed the winery to adopt the newest technology of the day, and oak cooperage, which was not a common thing in Napa yet.

In the ’80s, they were on the cutting edge. The 4th winery in Napa to produce Merlot, and they set a gold standard for the varietal to this day.

In 2001, they promoted Kimberlee Nicholls to Head Winemaker, making her one of the first female head winemakers in Napa. She leads to this day and keeps the quality high at every vintage.

The Yountville Merlot shows the super feminine side of merlot. With a few years in the bottle, it invites you from the first pour. Vibrant red cherry and ripe raspberry lead the way, with a pretty lift of red plum and violet filling out this full-bodied merlot. Whispers of baking spices, chocolate and vanilla round out the edges.

The palate is supple and round, silky through the mid palate, but still holds mineral laced ripe tannins.

$75 at the winery. $35 today. Another one from Oak Knoll coming later…get your blind tasting gears ready.

92 Points, James Suckling - “Ripe dark berries, crushed walnuts, spices and hints of bark on the nose. Full-bodied, creamy and chocolatey, with velvety tannins and a lingering finish. Rich and mellow. Drink or hold.”