Highland Wine is one of my go-to retail spots for great flavors and great values. They always have the best of the best, as well as great tasting but economically priced finds. I tried a few new ones recently from the super economical choices, including Lucky Star Pinot Noir (love it!) and Pine & Post Cab (post coming soon!). Another of these wines was the 2007 Leaping Horse Merlot from California.

Despite the more than excellent price tag (just under $5.50 a bottle), I wasn’t a fan of this wine. It just summed up all the things I often dislike about Merlot. The tannins weren’t blended well with the other flavors of the wine, and the berry flavors were surprisingly heavy, unbalanced, and lacked smoothness.

However, many other reviews online rave about this wine. I’m tempted to try it again just to see if I got a bad bottle. If you’ve had this one, I’d love to hear your opinion.

Origin: California
Where: Highland Wine
Price: less than $5.50
Next time: I’ll pass (at this point) but am considering a re-taste