Remember when a single movie line about hating Merlot crashed an entire wine category overnight? The Velvet Devil Merlot stands as a delicious counterargument to that infamous Sideways moment, proving that Columbia Valley Merlot deserves your attention.
This $10 wonder from Charles Smith Wines delivers remarkable complexity for its price point. Originally created as “the least expensive oak-aged Merlot” on the market, it continues to impress despite changing hands multiple times since Smith first launched it. The 2022 vintage showcases brooding dark flavors—black cherry, bitter chocolate, blueberry, and plum—with an intriguing herbal or tobacco note adding depth and character.
The Velvet Devil isn’t some lightweight, forgettable red. With its blend of 89% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1% more Merlot, it delivers that perfect “heft in your glass” as summer transitions to fall. Columbia Valley’s ideal conditions for Bordeaux varieties shine through in every sip. If you’ve been avoiding Merlot since that movie came out, or simply looking for exceptional value in your wine selection, this dark, brooding bottle deserves a place in your rotation. At this price point, it’s the perfect reintroduction to what makes Merlot special.
Want to discover more exceptional value wines? Subscribe to the Cheap Wine Finder podcast and website for regular reviews of wines that deliver quality well beyond their price tags. From upcoming Pinot Grigio finds to what might be “the best value-priced Cabernet Sauvignon,” we’re always searching for those hidden gems that keep your wine experience exciting without emptying your wallet.
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Introducing The Velvet Devil Merlot
Speaker 1
0:02
Hey
,
welcome
,
it's
Domain
Dave
again
.
Like
always
,
we
do
value
wine
reviews
on
the
website
cheapwinefindercom
and
on
the
cheapwinefindercom
podcast
.
We
talk
about
it
.
Surprise
,
surprise
.
Today
we've
got
one
that
is
kind
of
a
blast
from
the
past
for
well
Cheap
Wine
Finder
.
From
the
past
for
well
cheap
wine
finder
.
Speaker 1
0:28
This
is
a
Charles
Smith
wine
,
and
back
in
the
2010s
,
charles
Smith
came
out
of
Columbia
Valley
and
about
a
left
field
with
a
line
of
wines
value
price
wines
that
were
well
received
,
while
making
hundred-point
wines
from
the
high-end
stuff
.
So
he
was
just
getting
it
all
done
and
this
is
one
of
Charles
Smith
wines
.
That's
the
brand
that
all
these
wines
are
out
of
,
and
this
is
the
Velvet
Devil
Merlot
2022
.
It's
from
the
Columbia
Valley
.
Now
,
back
in
the
day
,
actually
,
charles
Smith
told
me
so
I
kind
of
know
this
from
the
horse's
mouth
that
this
was
the
least
expensive
Merlot
,
that
was
barrel-aged
,
oak
barrel-aged
,
and
one
of
the
reasons
why
is
there
was
a
movie
no
,
15
,
20
years
ago
now
called
Sideways
The Sideways Effect on Merlot
Speaker 1
1:27
.
It
was
about
these
two
guys
from
Los
Angeles
who
went
up
to
Santa
Barbara
wine
country
for
a
bachelor
getaway
thing
and
one
of
them
,
while
drunk
,
said
he
hated
Merlot
and
loved
Pinot
Noir
,
and
overnight
sales
of
Merlot
crashed
and
sales
of
Pinot
Noir
took
off
.
It
was
an
internet
sensation
before
there
was
internet
sensations
and
to
this
day
Merlot
sales
are
still
down
and
Pinot
Noir
sales
are
up
.
So
Columbia
Valley
,
where
Charles
Smith
came
from
,
didn't
really
do
Pinot
Noir
that
much
.
It
wasn't
the
right
climate
,
temperature
,
soil
,
it
wasn't
the
right
place
,
but
Charles Smith's Brand Evolution
Speaker 1
2:15
they
did
do
Merlot
well
.
So
the
Velvet
Devil
was
a
way
of
bringing
Merlot's
sexy
back
,
which
is
another
from
that
time
,
justin
Timberlake
,
that's
probably
about
the
same
time
that
all
happened
.
Speaker 1
2:29
In
the
meantime
,
charles
Smith
,
after
he
establishes
these
brands
and
he's
got
a
bunch
of
them
sells
them
.
So
it's
been
a
long
time
since
Charles
Smith
Wines
is
owned
by
Charles
Smith
.
It's
been
owned
by
Constellation
Brands
,
then
Castellation
Brands
sold
it
to
the
Wine
Group
and
just
recently
the
Wine
Group
sold
it
to
somebody
else
.
So
I'm
thinking
,
oh
no
,
I
mean
this
line
of
wine
and
I
remember
I'm
really
partial
to
Kung
Fu
Girl
Riesling
and
that's
been
good
for
all
these
years
,
and
they
have
all
black
and
white
labels
which
I'm
going
gonna
take
a
sip
,
with
kind
of
pen
and
ink
drawings
on
it
.
They're
cool
looking
labels
and
that
runs
throughout
the
Charles
Smith
line
.
I
think
his
new
wines
are
now
House
of
Smith
.
He
sold
everything
else
off
and
so
I
thought
maybe
is
this
still
good
?
Is
this
going
to
be
still
the
less
?
I
mean
,
I
don't
know
,
this
is
still
gonna
be
the
least
expensive
oak
aged
Merlot
.
Speaker 1
3:34
The
Charles
Smith
wines
always
had
outstanding
liner
notes
.
They
would
tell
you
everything
you
need
to
know
,
or
you
know
just
a
bit
more
than
you
expect
to
know
,
and
nowadays
they
you
get
just
a
bit
and
the
answer
is
yeah
,
it's
pretty
good
.
They
both
castellation
the
wine
group
to
good
wines
.
I
didn't
really
expect
them
to
screw
the
whole
Tasting Notes and Wine Composition
Speaker 1
3:54
thing
up
and
they
didn't
.
Another
sip
this
is
a
dark
,
a
brooding
wine
with
black
,
dark
flavors
black
cherry
,
bitter
chocolate
,
blueberries
,
plums
,
interesting
kind
of
odd
spice
with
a
little
bit
of
a
pull
to
um
,
there's
either
herbs
or
tobacco
in
there
.
It's
one
of
those
like
what
is
that
flavor
that
is
deepened
with
all
the
flavors
.
It's
interesting
.
Speaker 1
4:30
This
is
a
real
.
It
was
10
bucks
in
case
,
uh
,
I
found
it
for
10
bucks
might
have
been
sale
,
but
it's
a
real
Merlot
,
which
I
don't
normally
.
I'm
not
crazy
now
Because
since
Sideways
and
the
crash
of
Merlot
,
people
don't
put
that
much
effort
into
it
anymore
.
Well
,
this
one's
got
some
effort
into
it
.
It's
89%
Merlot
,
10%
Cabernet
Sauvignon
,
1%
Merlot
,
which
you
could
have
called
it
a
Bordeaux
blend
.
It's
good
.
It's
from
Columbia
Valley
.
Columbia
Valley
is
a
great
place
to
get
Bordeaux
blends
and
Merlots
and
Cabernet
Sauvignons
and
all
that
type
of
thing
,
so
it's
a
value
price
Merlot
and
if
you
haven't
had
Merlot
in
a
while
,
yeah
,
try
it
.
Speaker 1
5:20
It's
got
some
dark
flavors
.
It's
not
a
light
,
fluffy
wine
.
Maybe
,
with
the
summer
coming
to
an
end
and
fall
coming
in
with
cooler
nights
,
it's
one
of
those
wines
when
you
want
a
little
bit
more
heft
in
your
glass
.
You
don't
want
light
and
breezy
,
you
want
a
wine
that's
got
a
little
that
kicks
in
a
little
harder
.
There
you
go
.
I
just
took
another
Final Thoughts and Coming Attractions
Speaker 1
5:53
sip
of
it
and
it
tastes
really
good
.
Uh
,
that's
this
.
The
velvet
double
merlot
2022
from
columbian
valley
used
to
be
charles
.
That's
still
the
brand
.
His
name
is
Charles
Smith
,
just
Charles
Smith
.
Ain't
nowhere
to
be
found
.
Now
,
what
I
got
coming
up
?
I've
got
a
real
cheap
Pinot
Grigio
.
I've
got
a
wine
that
just
might
be
the
best
value
of
price
Cabernet
Sauvignon
in
the
next
couple
of
days
.
So
I'll
be
talking
to
everybody
Keep
it
cheap
,
stay
cool
or
whatever
you
need
to
do
.
