I purchased this
Sonoma wine with the intention of
matching it up against the
1997 St. Supery Merlot from Napa Valley, but was somewhat disappointed. The Geyser Peak proved to be
formless at best, definitely a
Merlot but lacking any distinctive
flavor. It did have a nice, clean dry
finish, leaving a mildly pleasant sensation; but it did not work well either on its own or with the
pasta-and-tomato-
sauce dinner I paired it with. I paid about $13 for this one; too much, perhaps, but there you go.
I happened to read a Wine Spectator review of this one, and was surprised to see that they felt it would mature until 2006. This seems extremely optimistic. At least, it may live that long, but I doubt it will gain any character. Drink it now and make room for a better California Merlot.
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