Trove Merlot 2004
Price: $18
Maker: Trove Wines, Madera, California
Variety: Merlot
Packaging: 3-liter box
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Trove Merlot 2004 styles itself as an upscale boxed wine. By and large, it’s not bad. This Merlot has a great, juicy aroma… all berries, with spicy overtones. The flavor is plummy, with plenty of oak and a pepper finish. The balance isn’t bad, but we’d like to see brighter fruit notes and more complexity.
The Trove web site at trove-wines.com seems to be defunct, at least at the moment. Trove is a brand of Constellation Wines - why can’t these wineries manage to keep a website operational? This is the second review I’ve worked on in the last hour or two, and the second dead website.
In any case, Trove Merlot justifies its self-styled upscale box image. It’s not a great Merlot, but is equivalent to a $5 - $10 California or Australian bottle in quality. If you are looking for a party red, or for a wine to pour at the rate of a glass per day, Trove Merlot may serve you well.
Add this post to: del.icio.us - Digg it - Stumble it - Furl - Yahoo MyWeb
January 9th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
i found many bad reviews bout this wine … whats the truth?
January 10th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Jingy, we’re probably seeing some year to year or even box to box variations. I just tried a box of this a few weeks ago and didn’t like it nearly as well as the one I tried almost a year ago.
Roger