Price: $8
Maker: Dog House Winery, Santa Rosa, California
Varietal: Merlot
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, screw cap
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10
How could one resist taking a bottle of Dog House Maxie’s Merlot 2002 off the shelf – would you believe, “He followed me home?” Once you get past the cute label and cute copy (for a terminal dose of cuteness and canine puns, check out Dog House Winery’s website), the wine itself proves to be no dog. The nose of this wine is superb, with the expected dark berry and spice, but with some licorice and unusual floral notes. The flavor isn’t particularly complicated, but it’s a nice balance of cherry and plum notes, oak, spice, and tannins that stimulate but don’t overwhelm.
There’s a store locator on the Dog House website, but we didn’t find it all that helpful. We did find the blend information for the 2003 Dog House Merlot, which included 76% Merlot and 22% Cabernet Sauvignon. Both Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator scored this wine as a “Best Buy.”
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