Materra “Right Bank” Merlot with Shrimp Risotto #MerlotMe #WinePW

Merlot’s softer structure gives a wide range of pairing possibilities. Shrimp & risotto are great with Merlot.
Friday Night Risotto
Friday night is risotto night at our house. I make chicken stock whenever we roast a chicken, and we keep Vialone Nano, Carnaroli, or Arborio rice in the pantry at all times. With shrimp in the freezer, I just pick up some mushrooms and a vegetable on the way home. Risotto takes a little time, but it is easy and relaxing once you get the hang of it. Give it a try! Materra Wines “Right Bank” was a nice pairing. Shrimp and mushrooms are so full of umami flavors, they match up nicely with a red wine.
Disclosure: Our Wine Pairing Weekend blogging group received a variety of wine samples from the #MerlotMe wineries for our October posts. No other payments were involved and all opinions expressed in my blog posts are my own.

Materra Wines “Right Bank” Napa Valley Merlot
Materra “Right Bank” Oak Knoll District, Napa Valley 2013 (sample, $50 SRP or online here)
Eye: Clear, deep ruby with a cool toned edge with deep color right to the edge. Barely stained legs
Nose: Clean, medium intensity. Deep dark fruit, ripe blackberries & blueberries. Herbs and leather immediately behind the fruit. Slightest hint of oak comes with a bit of cedar box
Mouth: Dry, medium+ intensity flavor. Medium acidity, medium tannins. Medium body, medium alcohol. Dark blue fruit, plus some deep cherry flavors come out. A bit of pepper, plus the leather & herbs persist in the flavor. The tannins come on more in the medium+ length finish. All in all, a very nice wine with plenty of fruit but a good portion of old-world feel. The wine impresses as a bit lean, not plush as you might expect from Napa Valley. Well named!
You’ll get the best results from using the real ingredients: Vialone Nano, Arborio or Carnaroli rice, Parmigiano Reggiano, and homemade chicken stock. Ingredients InstructionsRed Wine Risotto
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[…] risotto night at our house. My recipe and tasting notes on the Materra Wines Right Bank Merlot are here (sample, $50 SRP or online […]
I love Risotto. Must try this recipe but will probably substitute my Aussie BBQ shrimp topper.
I have visited Materra twice and been impressed with the quality of their Merlot on both occasions. Having a Napa winery focus on Merlot is encouraging. I love the look of this dish as a pairing option for one of the bottles of “Right Bank” that we have in our cellar.