Wine Club Insider here, slaving away on Christmas Day trying to make your holiday a little brighter!

I hope everyone had a safe, happy and meaningful Christmas, and I hope that at least some of your gifts were wine club gifts!

The last of our “Top Ten” lists is a list of blends, or Meritage (pronounced like “heritage,” by the way) wines.

Generally Cabernet Sauvignon based, these are some seriously good wines! Again, it is by no means an exhaustive list, but it’s pretty good. I stayed away from the ultra old, rare Bordeaux blends, as we covered them in some detail yesterday, and also, I wanted to list wines that you could still buy. In most cases, I didn’t list a vintage, as being blends, they are almost always good!

Okay, here we go…

10) Arbor Crest Dionysus. www.arborcrest.com. Located in Spokane, Washington, Arbor Crest uses Columbia Valley Cab, Merlot and Cab Franc to make this hefty blend. About $45/bottle.

9) Dominus. www.dominusestate.com. The product of famed Petrus winemaker Christian Mouiex, it is a Bordeaux style blend from the famous Napanook Vineyard in Napa. About $100/bottle

Martin Ray Napa Valley “Synthesis.” www.Martinray-winery.com. Actually a blend of several great Napa vineyard cabs, this is pretty heady stuff! About $75/bottle. Their Legacy Club Wine Club is also really good!

7) Geyser Peak Reserve Alexandre Meritage. www.geyserpeak.com. Their top of the line blend, it is smooth as silk! I love this wine!

6) David Coffaro “Block 4.”www.coffaro.com. An unusual blend of 50% Zinfandel, 25% Petite Sirah, 5% Pelourisin, 5% Carignan, 5% Syrah, 10% other varietals. They only make about 300 cases, and this is a shocker! Amazing fruit for only $32.bottle!

5) Pend d’Oreille “L’OEuvre.” www.powine.com. L’OEuvre means “work of art” in French, and this blend of Cab Sauv, Merlot, Malbec and Cab France lives up to its name! The winery is located in beautiful Sandpoint, Idaho. About $29/bottle.

4) Jarvis “Lake William.” www.jarviswinery.com. A great blend from one of my favorite wineries. Runs about $65/bottle, if you can get it, and it’s a delight! I recently served it at a wine dinner, and the guests raved!

3) Opus One. www.opusonewinery.com. Located in one of Napa’s most majestic wineries, this proprietary Bordeaux style blend is the quintessential Meritage. Runs about $150/bottle, and is as well-crafted wine as you’ll find!

2) Montes Alpha “M.” From chile’s famed Colchagua Valley, this blend is awesome, especially the 2001, if you can find it! About $75/bottle.

1) Phelps “Insignia.” www.jpvwines.com. From Joseph Phelps great winery, this Cab Sauv, Petit Verdot and Malbec blend exemplifies everything that’s right about California wine making. Even at $140/bottle, it’s a steal for the quality and pure bliss of a good blend!

There you go, folks! Hope you enjoyed the quick trip through the blends! I wish you all the best on this joyous day, and I hope you take a moment to treasure your loved ones and give thanks for your many blessings!

Cheers!

Wine Club Insider