When I go to a tasting room, I assume a few things.
I assume they will have those tumbled marble coasters with the winery’s logo on them. I assume I will deal with a handful of people who are there just to drink, and get drunk; I also assume the majority of my fellow tasters won’t be like that.
I also assume that whoever’s pouring, has tasted the freakin' wine.
Apparently, that last assumption is just too much.
So, to be fair, I’m not convinced that the 2005 Merlot from Concannon Vineyards tastes like what I had on my recent visit to their tasting room. But, then, that is their fault. They poured that glass for me themselves, from a bottle they opened.
It smelled and tasted like feet. Kinda like a locker room, but drier. If this is what Concannon intended for their Merlot, then I feel sorry for Merlot drinkers who intentionally bought the 2005.
All I can hope is that this wasn’t intentional. And if that is the case, then someone needs to get shitcanned, because this bottle never should have made it to the tasting room floor. Or, perhaps, the tasting room floor is exactly where it belonged.
Verdict: sub-70/100