It had been a number of years  since I had the opportunity of sampling any of the wines from Covey Run Winery from Columbia Valley, Washington. I was recently given a bottle of their 2010 Merlot, and to say the least, I was truly disappointed with the wine. It was bland, and had an off-aromas and flavors that did not appeal to me at all. Since I had not been feeling well recently, I asked my wife for her impressions of the wine, and she did not care for it either. I hate to say it, but the quality of the 2010 Merlot was very disappointing from what I remembered a few years ago when I carried it in my wine bar. But then again, maybe my expectations were to high for this inexpensive Merlot. This is a wine that I would not recommend at all.

Jon

The other day I picked up a bottle of the 14 Hands Hot to Trot red blend for something inexpensive to sip in the evening with my wife. It had been awhile since I last sampled a wine from 14 Hands Vineyard, and if I remember correctly, I was not overly impressed with their Merlot. But I decided to give their red blend a try. This wine is produced using Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a bit of Mourvedre. On the nose the first aroma that was prevalent was cherries, followed by red berries and spice. The flavors followed the aromas with the cherries being predominate, followed again by the red berries, and nutmeg. This was an easy drinking red blend with little complexity or structure, something that one would expect form an inexpensive red blend that retails for around $10.

Jon

It had been awhile since I last sampled a wine from the Columbia Winery in Washington, and a friend recently gave me a bottle of the 2007 Syrah to sample. I allowed the wine to aerate before giving it a try. The color of the wine in the glass was a dark purple, and the aromas were of dark berries, raisins, cherries, and pepper. The flavor profile was of blackberries, cherries, black raisins, plums, black olives, a savory note of bacon mid-palate, and a finish of black pepper. This Syrah was full-bodied, and it drank well with a nice finish.

Jon

The Flying Fish label is part of the Click Wine Group based out of Seattle, Washington. The Flying Fish wine making team selects premium grapes from various vineyards throughout the Columbia Valley AVA. By choosing grapes from different vineyards and locales, the philosophy is that each of the vineyards has its own micro-climate, and will add a varying distinctiveness to the wine.
In the glass the 2010 Flying Fish Merlot has a garnet red color to it, and the aromas are of cherries, red berries and a trace of cloves. In the mouth the flavors are of tart cherries, red berries, followed by vanilla, and a hint of cloves. This is a medium-bodied Merlot, with a medium finish, and soft tannins. For the price of around $12, this is a decent tasting Merlot.