Rodney Strong Merlot

Wine: Rodney Strong Merlot.

Grapes: merlot (90 percent), cabernet sauvignon (10 percent)

Region: Sonoma County, Calif.

Vintage: 2010

Price: $9.99

In the glass: Rodney Strong Merlot is a deep semi-opaque blood-ruby-red color with a nice firm core going out into a light crimson to pinkish-red rim definition with high viscosity.

On the nose: There are freshly crushed red and black berry fruits with blueberry sorbet, blackberry jam, soft toffee, mocha, vanilla, oak references, loganberries, licorice twizzlers and hints of minerals.

On the palate: It has a very suave entry point, because of the fairly long (24 months) aging in oak barrels. The wine is quite opulent with crushed berry fruit, especially blueberries and raspberries, blackberry liqueur, then good symmetry between the fruit and tannins, appearing soft and supple through the midpalate with just a little extra kick of black fruit and crushed cherry toward the lovely lingering finish. It has a real freshness to it, which is a nice quality for a wine of this stature and it is undoubtedly well-made by the Rodney Strong team.

Odds and ends: People have asked why no Rodney Strong wines have ever been reviewed in the paper. I had to explain that while very good, they were just not good enough on the basis of the strict criteria used for selecting these wines through blind tastings. I am happy to report that this merlot from the 2008 vintage is a wonderful wine and highly recommended for your drinking pleasure, especially at this excellent price. This is normally a bottle of wine that costs upward of double this price, so it is only fitting that this candidate from the popular winery — in the heart of Sonoma County near Napa in California — should make it into the column. Rodney Strong wines are probably some of the most available California wines in the U.S. market, so it should be no problem getting your hands on a bottle or two. It is a supple and highly drinkable merlot that should do well through 2015, but not much more. Try it with grilled rib-eye steak.

Gil Lempert-Schwarz’s wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89106-0749, or email him at gil@winevegas.com.