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2009 Covey Run Merlot a Best Buy of the Year!

Found it on sale @ $5.59 buy it while you can.


This week I found the 2009 Covey Run Merlot on sale at the local Richland Safeway for the low, low price of $5.59. The price is low, the quality of the wine is not. There’s a lot of 2005, 2006 and 2007 Covey Run Merlot in town, this was the first 2009 Covey Run red wine I have found locally. On the neck of the screw cap are the words, “Best Value”, which it is. At $5.59 I’d call it a terrific value. My advice is to pass on the older vintages of Covey Run Merlot, but don’t pass on the 2009 Covey Run Merlot.

Covey Run was a Zillah, Washington winery, founded in 1982. I recall visiting the Covey Run Winery when it was called Quail Ridge. But that was over 20 years ago and times have changed. On the back of the bottle, it says the wine was cellared and bottled in Richland, Washington. But, according to their web site, their contact address is in Woodinville, Washington (that's across the lake from Seattle). The winery has changed hands a few times. Their current winemaker is Kate Michaud, and Kate has crafted a very good, extremely affordable wine for us to enjoy.

My review is actually from a second bottle of Covey Run Merlot. The first bottle disappeared so fast, I had to buy another bottle for this review. I’ve enjoyed this bottle over the last three days. On day one, the nose was very closed, by day two I was noticing blackberry and root beer, on day three the wine is still amiable; still dry, a bit subdued, but agreeable. This is a medium body wine, and as I mentioned, easy to drink. This 2009 Covey Run Merlot is dry with medium tannins, and grippy enough for a steak (which made my teeth squeak, I like that) and there’s enough acidity to say "boy howdy". With a little air, the satisfying dark fruit and Coffee finish put a smile on my face. I enjoyed this wine; it certainly is my favorite Covey Run red wine in a long time. Thank you Kate, this wine is recommended!

At this price and this quality, you’ll get some great mileage from this Merlot. This is a wine for everyone, for any day and perfect for dinner and friends. If you are unfamiliar with Washington Merlot, this is my suggested introduction for you (and a great option for you Pinot drinkers). There’s plenty of life in this wine, so you should be able to enjoy this vintage over the next 4 years.

For all the interesting historical details about Covey Run, visit MikeL's guide to WA Wineries here.

Covey Run Website: http://www.coveyrun.com

Cheers!

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