2004 Estancia Meritage

From:

Paso Robles, Calif.

Price:

$33

Serve with:

Roast beef, leg of lamb

Meritage is a term for certain U.S. wines that use a blend of grapes similar to that used in Bordeaux. This red blend of cabernet sauvignon (61 percent), merlot (30 percent) and petit verdot (9 percent) is one of the more successful examples. It's a full-bodied, ripe wine with flavors of black cherry, black currant, vanilla and spices. It's well-structured, smooth and long in the finish -- indicating many years of future development.