Enjoy a stroll through California wine country with every sip when you pour Fair Oaks Ranch Merlot, a bold and fruit-forward wine just bursting with notes of plum, cherry and spices, like butterscotch, caramel, and vanilla owed to oak barrel aging. The 2016 vintage of this wine earned a 90-point gold medal at the Sommelier Challenge International Wine & Spirits Competition and the 2022 Merlot is equally superb. In addition to accolades for winemaking, Fair Oaks Ranch earned 3rd place at the Pack Design Awards for its beautiful label, an exquisite piece of original art that evokes the feel of this wine with its well-balanced complexity of modern authenticity. The name Merlot derives from le merle (“little blackbird” in French; they’re known to favor the grape as a snack, much to the chagrin of growers) and is one of the wine world’s most prestigious grapes. It is one of the great grapes of Bordeaux where it is often blended with Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc. In California, where vineyards enjoy warmer temperatures, Merlot also thrives, gaining even bolder, more intense fruit flavors than of their Old-World relatives. “A great pop-and-pour crowd-pleaser,” declared our Tasting Panelist, Chris Hoel (former somm at Thomas Keller’s French Laundry). Will pair wonderfully with a variety of savory, meat-based dishes, such as herbed white meats, pork, and lamb dishes.