Ménage a Trois Merlot Rose Folie a Deux 2006

An excellent blend - tried this back in 2006, it was given to me as a gift. I hadn't noted it then, but upon sampling it a second time - having not recalled the first bottle - I was very pleased. Great combination of grapes, wonderful balance.

Great everyday wine. Bordering on too inexpensive as a gift however.

When first opened this wine had a very tart taste. After if opened up it became much sweeter, and had a strong finish. It went well with spaghetti, but i believe this wine would go well with many foods.

Blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet with a sweet taste of red berries, specifically cherries, and a hint of oak in the background. A great summer drinking wine.

A nice standby, although I haven't had it in a while. Nothing to offend anyone in this blend.

This one has an interesting story. Susie and I are scrambling out of Monterrey California, trying to beat rush hour after a day at the (The) Aquarium. Starting to head south on 1, somewhere around Carmel by the Sea, I stop at a corner gas station to fill and notice a nearby little Wine Shop. We got to take a peak, as something about it looked like it would be titilating waste of time and money. I am so sorry that I dont remember the name of this shop, but it was uniquely organized in food pairing sections. The propietor had a seafood section, a pasta section, a shell fish selection etc. etc. We were impressed, and elated that someone decide to do just a bit something different. After all, when you are stopping to buy wine for a meal or get together, isn't that often one of the main criteria? You want to fit in, and you want to pair well. On our way out, empty handed of course, because we were heading to do some tasting on Paso Robles, we thanked the guy and told him how impressed we were. In fact, we added you have something for every thing, then, as good proud Alaskan's we just had to jest: "but I bet you don't have anything for Moose, ha ha ha." As a matter of fact I do, said the well informed man, my brother lives in Kenai and I have picked out this special blend which I think goes great with game. It was a 2003 Folie a Deux Menage a Trois. We were so impressed. We bought two whole bottles-heck we had lots of wine to buy ahead. One to try and share in Paso with our wine afficianado friends and tasting partners, and another to test with the Moose, at home. Well, it has been a while since we had this wine, and even though it has kind of faded in memory, and can't honestly say, that it was the perfect Moose match, but a decent one, it was rather tasty, and had just enough tannins and structure as a meat and potatoes wine should. Fast forward to 2007 and spying the 2006 version in the local Freddies (~$13.00) we figured lets give another try, and add a review to the snooth account. Unfortunately, a pot of Moose stew had been the standby for Susie's meals all last week while I was at a conference, and I had just planned to do a pasta with Italian sausage and quick sauce. So it wasn't the most conciencious pairing in the world, nevertheless, here we go: It definitely has the berry, and back in the palate somewhere there's a quick leathery note and pleasing smooth finish, that likely speaks of the Cabernet portion of this blend. Along with the berry comes the sweet however, and really it just didn't cut the sausage and rather thick acidic tomato sauce. On its own howver it was rather, good. It has a good medium structure and body, and a deep dark ruby color, and as I eluded to on the fruity side of things. I have not seen the winemaker's notes but would guess the Zin portion and maybe the Merlot were well ripened with moderate brix at harvest, hence maybe the Jammy-ness. With so many other wines that I truly enjoy, I may not buy this vintage again, but will keep trying this brand and label in the future. Based on the sweetness alone though I do not think the 2006 will pair fantastically with the Moose, but maybe a curry or spicy asian something.

Zin dominates the nose. Very smooth and balanced. Quaffer. Balanced tannins and acidity. Red berries. Simple and pleasant.