{"product_id":"2023-bottega-merlot-92pts","title":"2023 Bottega Merlot | 92pts","description":"\u003cp\u003eMade from 92% Merlot and 8% Cab Franc with South Okanagan fruits and aged in neutral French oak for 18 months. This is not an oaky Merlot but the integration brings a beautiful texture and it is surprisingly precise. The aromas are savoury, blue fruits, dark fruits, currants, cherries, cassis, tobacco and dark chocolate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe palate is going to evolve a lot over the next five years and is currently very young. Currently it has great tension, precision, acidity, rugged tanins, and needs a good decant; but I can project a fantastic future for it with some age. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the palate, dark fruits like black cherry, blackberry, blueberry, lots of dark chocolate, spice and vanilla. Pretty much everything you can expect from a great Merlot. (Carl Boucher, May 24, 2026). \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"h4 inline-richtext\"\u003e92 points, Carl's Wine Club\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"h4 inline-richtext\"\u003eBC Okanagan Valley VQA South Okanagan\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"h4 inline-richtext\"\u003e92% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"product__text inline-richtext\"\u003eDry Wine | 13.5% ABV | Drink from 2026 to 2035\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"product__text inline-richtext\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePairings:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ebraised beef cheeks with polenta, duck confit\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bottega","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52464739713317,"sku":null,"price":54.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0779\/1984\/6693\/files\/bottegamerlot.png?v=1779943029","url":"https:\/\/carlswineclub.com\/products\/2023-bottega-merlot-92pts","provider":"Carl's Wine Club","version":"1.0","type":"link"}