This is a concentrated and plush wine. The alluvial clay soil in the Alexander Valley imparts flavors of smooth, dark cherry, black currant, and plum. The round mouthfeel is wrapped in caramel and mocha, finishing with integrated tannins and well-balanced acidity.
Specs
Varietal: 91% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol: 14.9%
pH: 3.61
TA: 5.82
Production: 336 Cases
2014 Toby Lane Vineyards Merlot, Alexander Valley
Tasting Notes
Our 2014 Alexander Valley Merlot opens with earthy aromas of cassis, black cherry, plum, vanilla, oak, and cedar, along with a floral note. This wine has a broad mouthfeel with flavors of cherry, cassis, blackberry, plum, and chocolate. This is a big, nicely balanced wine with chewy tannins on the long finish.
Specs
Varietal: 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol: 13.3%
pH: 3.5
TA: 5.82
2015 Toby Lane Vineyards Merlot, Alexander Valley
Tasting Notes
This wine always impresses red wine lovers, and our family always refers to it as a Merlot for Cabernet lovers. There are spicy, earthy aromas of cassis, black cherry, plum, vanilla, oak, and cedar in the glass. This wine has a broad mouthfeel with flavors of cherry, cassis, blackberry, plum, and chocolate. This is a big, nicely balanced wine with chewy tannins on the long finish. Big wines pair well with big foods - try lamb chops, prime rib, steaks, and veal chops.
Specs
Varietal: 91% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol: 14.9%
pH: 3.58
TA: 5.9
What’s Included
3-bottles:
1x 2013 Toby Lane Vineyards Merlot, Alexander Valley
1x 2014 Toby Lane Vineyards Merlot, Alexander Valley
1x 2015 Toby Lane Vineyards Merlot, Alexander Valley Case:
4x 2013 Toby Lane Vineyards Merlot, Alexander Valley
4x 2014 Toby Lane Vineyards Merlot, Alexander Valley
4x 2015 Toby Lane Vineyards Merlot, Alexander Valley
Toby Lane Vineyards is a fourth-generation family winery and vineyard. Located in the verdant Alexander Valley just outside Healdsburg in Sonoma County, California, the Martins have cultivated grapes for almost fifty years. Once prune and apple orchards, the founders of Toby Lane had the foresight to know the Alexander Valley would one day produce some of the world’s greatest Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Toby Lane Vineyards Alexander Valley Merlot
3 bottles for $64.99 $21.66/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $199.99 $16.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
My bottle says 13.5% alcohol
Mortimer dropped my bottle of quite some time ago, I guess he got to excited at the thought of coming to see me and couldn’t wait. I stored the bottle in my wine fridge (56 degrees) until yesterday morning. Tasted late evening.
PNP-
Color - kind of a cloudy, dark cherry. Like it wasn’t super filtered.
Aroma- all I could smell was heat, I could not pick up anything else. I did try a different glass, still nothing. My mom said it smelled good, but she couldn’t figure out what the main component was.
Taste- extremely tannic. My mouth and lips felt like they were sucked dry. I could not pick out any distinguishable flavors. There was an aftertaste that I did not care for but could not determine what it was. Tobacco or leather were my first guesses, both of which are not to my liking. Nothing on the label to help, now reading the description, maybe it’s cedar?
My mom, doesn’t like big tannic wine, agreed it was very tannic. She liked the flavor at first, but did not care for the aftertaste. She also couldn’t quite figure out what it was.
Left the glass sitting on the counter for about an hour.
Taste- the tannins really mellowed out, but it was still very tannic. Still no distinguishable flavors. The aftertaste wasn’t as bad, still not to my liking. Mom felt it had a vinegary taste.
We didn’t try with food.
I’m sorry to say, this was just not the wine for us.
Thanks Alice and WD for the opportunity!
Have a great week!!!
@mommadeb curious, do you generally steer clear of the more tannic reds (eg prefer pinot, whites, rhone styles)? The cedar/tobacco/tar notes are pretty common in bordeaux varieties i feel
@klezman
I’ve been here. Just haven’t participated as much as I should. Hope all is going well with everyone.
I do have some to try tonight. Will report my findings.
@deadlyapp
I love big bold reds. I don’t like leather, tobacco or earth flavors. Petite sirah is one of my all time favorite. Barbera, cab franc etc. So I’m ok with tannins, this one just seemed off balanced to me. Maybe something happened with my bottle? For a merlot, I was expecting more fruit flavors to shine and it to be smooth, rich and flavorful. I really didn’t get anything. I will try it again tonight and report back.
@mommadeb
Day 2
Wow. What a difference a day makes. This is a totally different wine than yesterday.
I’m still not picking up much aroma, but I am not getting the heat I was last night. Now, the wine is smooth and the tannins have really softened up. Not getting any distinctive flavor profile, but the finish is bright, tart red cherry.
back in January & have been eagerly waiting to try it.
At room temp on pnp deep purple color with earthy with cherry & plum aroma.
This is a big red. Taste was cherry, blackberry, raspberry & plum. Light tannins making it smooth & balanced. Very tasty by itself and went well with grilled filet mignon & roasted garlic asparagus & feta.
To be honest I am not a huge Merlot fan but found this nice. Know that I see the offer is a vertical interested in the others. On the fence about purchase but don’t think you’ll be disappointed in this 2014. It’s drinking nice now & I don’t know much about aging wine but think it’s got some time.
Thank you WD & Alice & for the opportunity & keeping me informed on the offer. Have a great day!
@dawnlac …Sorry for spelling errors as I was in a hurry to get done before leaving for work also forgot to mention first taste was after the wine was opened for 45-60 mins.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations).
Toby Lane Vineyards Alexander Valley Merlot - $60 = 23.07%
Lucky once again. Happy New Year ! The tasting committee consisted of my brother, wife, and myself.
Pop and pour: at 14.9% alcohol, we expected to have to decant and wait, but this Merlot is fantastic from the get go. Bouquet rich with cherries and blackberries, abundant legs. On 1st sip, the wine is medium bodied, wonderfully complex, with blackberry, tobacco, coffee, and vanilla in a long finish. The integration of alcohol and tannins is tremendous.
We thought the wine was a higher end offering, typically found for 40+ dollars at stores. We paired ir with Roasted Strip with Chimichurri. Delicious.
My brother asked me to buy a case for us and that’s what we just did. Looking forward to getting this and potentially cellaring some of the vintages if tannins require.
Thanks for the opportunity! Super lucky to have had this for rattage
2013 Toby Lane Vineyards Merlot, Alexander Valley
Tasting Notes
Specs
2014 Toby Lane Vineyards Merlot, Alexander Valley
Tasting Notes
Specs
2015 Toby Lane Vineyards Merlot, Alexander Valley
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
3-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$456.00/Case for 4x 2013 Toby Lane Vineyards Merlot, Alexander Valley + 4x 2014 Toby Lane Vineyards Merlot, Alexander Valley + 4x 2015 Toby Lane Vineyards Merlot, Alexander Valley at Toby Lane Vineyards
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Apr 24 - Tuesday, Apr 25
Toby Lane Vineyards Alexander Valley Merlot
3 bottles for $64.99 $21.66/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $199.99 $16.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2013
2014
2015
High alcohol on two of the vintages. Curious what the rats have to say.
@klezman Same here
@klezman @mikepav …and 2016 appears to be the last vintage they made wine. Interesting.
Toby Lane 2015 Merlot
My bottle says 13.5% alcohol
Mortimer dropped my bottle of quite some time ago, I guess he got to excited at the thought of coming to see me and couldn’t wait. I stored the bottle in my wine fridge (56 degrees) until yesterday morning. Tasted late evening.
PNP-
Color - kind of a cloudy, dark cherry. Like it wasn’t super filtered.
Aroma- all I could smell was heat, I could not pick up anything else. I did try a different glass, still nothing. My mom said it smelled good, but she couldn’t figure out what the main component was.
Taste- extremely tannic. My mouth and lips felt like they were sucked dry. I could not pick out any distinguishable flavors. There was an aftertaste that I did not care for but could not determine what it was. Tobacco or leather were my first guesses, both of which are not to my liking. Nothing on the label to help, now reading the description, maybe it’s cedar?
My mom, doesn’t like big tannic wine, agreed it was very tannic. She liked the flavor at first, but did not care for the aftertaste. She also couldn’t quite figure out what it was.
Left the glass sitting on the counter for about an hour.
Taste- the tannins really mellowed out, but it was still very tannic. Still no distinguishable flavors. The aftertaste wasn’t as bad, still not to my liking. Mom felt it had a vinegary taste.
We didn’t try with food.
I’m sorry to say, this was just not the wine for us.
Thanks Alice and WD for the opportunity!
Have a great week!!!
@mommadeb nice to see you back here!
Did you save any to try on day 2? It sounds like the wine may just be really tight.
@mommadeb curious, do you generally steer clear of the more tannic reds (eg prefer pinot, whites, rhone styles)? The cedar/tobacco/tar notes are pretty common in bordeaux varieties i feel
@klezman
I’ve been here. Just haven’t participated as much as I should. Hope all is going well with everyone.
I do have some to try tonight. Will report my findings.
@deadlyapp
I love big bold reds. I don’t like leather, tobacco or earth flavors. Petite sirah is one of my all time favorite. Barbera, cab franc etc. So I’m ok with tannins, this one just seemed off balanced to me. Maybe something happened with my bottle? For a merlot, I was expecting more fruit flavors to shine and it to be smooth, rich and flavorful. I really didn’t get anything. I will try it again tonight and report back.
@klezman @mommadeb a flash site that shall not be named currently offering the ‘15 for $17.99 free ship and notes an ABV of 13.5 as well.
@mommadeb
Day 2
Wow. What a difference a day makes. This is a totally different wine than yesterday.
I’m still not picking up much aroma, but I am not getting the heat I was last night. Now, the wine is smooth and the tannins have really softened up. Not getting any distinctive flavor profile, but the finish is bright, tart red cherry.
We received the
2014 Toby Lane Merlot
back in January & have been eagerly waiting to try it.
At room temp on pnp deep purple color with earthy with cherry & plum aroma.
This is a big red. Taste was cherry, blackberry, raspberry & plum. Light tannins making it smooth & balanced. Very tasty by itself and went well with grilled filet mignon & roasted garlic asparagus & feta.
To be honest I am not a huge Merlot fan but found this nice. Know that I see the offer is a vertical interested in the others. On the fence about purchase but don’t think you’ll be disappointed in this 2014. It’s drinking nice now & I don’t know much about aging wine but think it’s got some time.
Thank you WD & Alice & for the opportunity & keeping me informed on the offer. Have a great day!
@dawnlac …Sorry for spelling errors as I was in a hurry to get done before leaving for work also forgot to mention first taste was after the wine was opened for 45-60 mins.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations).
Toby Lane Vineyards Alexander Valley Merlot - $60 = 23.07%
2013 Toby Lane Merlot Alexander Valley
Lucky once again. Happy New Year ! The tasting committee consisted of my brother, wife, and myself.
Pop and pour: at 14.9% alcohol, we expected to have to decant and wait, but this Merlot is fantastic from the get go. Bouquet rich with cherries and blackberries, abundant legs. On 1st sip, the wine is medium bodied, wonderfully complex, with blackberry, tobacco, coffee, and vanilla in a long finish. The integration of alcohol and tannins is tremendous.
We thought the wine was a higher end offering, typically found for 40+ dollars at stores. We paired ir with Roasted Strip with Chimichurri. Delicious.
My brother asked me to buy a case for us and that’s what we just did. Looking forward to getting this and potentially cellaring some of the vintages if tannins require.
Thanks for the opportunity! Super lucky to have had this for rattage
@davratoro Happy New Year?
@davratoro @losthighwayz In fairness, these Rat bottles apparently arrived in January.
@losthighwayz I decided to leave that comment since I had this back in January! Wrote the review then as well. Loved the 2013!
/giphy hateful-kindly-nut
