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The Aldi California Heritage Merlot is a $4.99 exclusive, produced by a branch of E & J Gallo for ALdi.
This is a non-vintage wine, meaning grapes picked in different years are included in this bottling. Producers do this to keep costs down and use a more upscale wine from a previous year to “improve” the wine.
A non-vintage wine, like the Aldi California Heritage Merlot, can mean a wine where low cost is paramount, but it does not have to be.
This wine was produced by a section Gallo and they are the largest family-owned winery in the and US and one of the largest in the world. They have many vineyards and juice at their disposal, so my guess is the non-vintage designation is to improve the wine.
Merlot, along with Cabernet Sauvignon are THE grapes of Bordeaux, and Merlot from Bordeaux may well be the finest in the world.
Merlot for value-priced wine tends to be part of a blend. There are excellent Merlot wines from places like Napa but Merlot as a stand-alone wine in the value category is no longer common.
It is an interesting choice for the California Heritage series. The alcohol content is a balanced 13%. The other wines in the California Heritage series were impressive for their price.
The Aldi California Heritage Tasting Notes
The color is black cherry red. The nose is blackberry, a little herbs, black pepper, spice, and vanilla. Did they do some sort of oak aging on a $ 4.99 wine? The Aldi California Heritage Merlot has smooth flavors, and dark berries with a hint of green pepper.
This Merlot tastes like blackberry, French vanilla, plum, dark spice, green pepper, sweet blueberry, and tart cranberry. It is not complex but the flavors do hold your interest. The tannins are smooth and the acidity is balanced.
The Summary
- The Aldi California Heritage Merlot is a 5-buck food wine.
- It sips fine, but will really shine with tacos, burgers, and pizza.
