Stimson
Our friend Dolores introduced us to an inexpensive Merlot from Stimson Estate Cellars. It’s 10 Euro when it’s not on sale (approx $12.30) and is drinkable from the moment you open it. Delicious, but I won’t try fake you out claiming I found hints of black current and a certain kind of oak or other wine expert tips; I’ll just encourage you to try it since we are really enjoying it. On the bottle (and at their site) is a fun parallel drawn between their region of northern Washington State in the US and the Loire/Burgundy/Bordeaux regions of France. They claim 300 days of sun in Washington, which is odd if you believe what Meg Ryan told us about it raining 9 months of the year in Seattle (a bit north of this wine’s vineyards).