Dusty garnet color. Attractive aromas of mocha, spiced berries, and nut brittle with a supple, tangy, dry-yet-fruity medium-to-full body and a tingling, interesting, medium-length blood orange, cocoa, cedar, and herbs and pepper finish with soft, chewy tannins and moderate oak flavor. A flavorful, even and nicely tangy red Meritage that will be quite versatile.
Bottom Line: A flavorful, even and nicely tangy red Meritage that will be quite versatile.
Meritage (rhymes with "heritage") is a term coined in California to describe a blended wine made with Bordeaux varieties. While there could be a white Meritage, the term generally refers to a red wine, thus made with any combination of five grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.
Established in the 1980s, the concept of Meritage wines was initially greeted with a good deal of fanfare, but today, that excitement has waned. Most of the 100 plus wineries that make a Meritage-style wine are in California; many do not even use the term on the label, preferring their own fantasy name.
Meritage red wines age similarly to a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon and are best paired with red meats and game.
Kirkland Signature 2014 Meritage, Rutherford, Napa Valley rating was calculated by tastings.com to be 90 points out of 100 on 1/11/2017. Please note that MSRP may have changed since the date of our review.