Le Lapin Paso Robles Merlot (NV)

rabbit ridge has decided to go after the two buck (now about $4) chucks of the world with their entry level le lapin (the rabbit) label. they have just released four wines which i recently tried. these wines are all blends of various vintages from the rabbit. the first under the microscope is the merlot. the nose was very interesting, with blackberry, plum, leather, earth and some spice notes all coming through. this could be real fun if the nose was any indication. on the palate, plums and berries bursting forth, followed by some nice earth flavors. i then got some licorice notes and medium tannins. the finish was medium and i was not disappointed. the wine sells for about $7-8 ($6 in the rabbit ridge tasting room) and easily tops the above mentioned chuck. spend the couple extra dollars and go after this one. great with a beef stew or burger. and look for the other three varietals which i will blog the rest of this week. all the same price. all worth buying.