2016 Merlot Fetzer Vineyards

$4.99 for a Fetzer Vineyard California Merlot appeared a good buy; I bought this one bottle. What appeared even better was its high #90 rating. It was like reliving those 1960 & ’70 cheap wines. In the 1960’s & 70’s several cheap wines leaped off shelves. Can you remember these oldies: Ripple, Lancers, Thunderbird, Mogen David, Reunite, Blue Nun, and even Mateus? Many a Prom night party featured these golden oldies. In the 1950’s, my dad used to drink Muscatel wine. The stuff was cheap, sweet, and alcoholic. It was the premier choice of guy’s on skid row. They could cobble together some pennies, buy a bottle of Muscatel, wrap it a paper bag, and get happy for a while. Dad wasn’t a skid row transient; he was simply cheap when buying wine. DYK: Muscatel continues in production. And there is a California winery making it for churches as their alter wine. For me, this ’16 “five-buck-Chuck” was not a stellar Merlot. The winemaker’s mix gave it a plum, Cocoa flavor. The finish was an oaky tannin. How this Merlot achieved so many high ratings is a mystery. The color is deep red, has legs, but nose its nose isn’t pleasant. First taste has plumb, but then nuances fade into a thick pile. My $ 4.99 Merlot buy experience was disappointing. Probably, a craft beer would have proved more enjoyable- - Bourbon County, Founders KBS, etc. Then, again, a chilled glass of Thunderbird would work, too.