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What’s Your Go-To Pizza Wine?
Do you have a favorite pizza wine, something you always reach for?  If it’s a typical red-sauce type pizza I usually grab something Italian: Barbera d’Asti, Langhe Nebbiolo, Chianti Classico.  October means #MerlotMe though, so I decided to take some Merlot samples with us up to the lake. We nearly always stop to pick up a take & bake pizza from Papa Murphy’s on the way for an easy dinner after the drive. Why not test out a Merlot with our pizza?

Disclosure: The wine for this post was supplied as a sample from the winery, no other compensation was involved. All opinions are mine.

Difficult to beat a nice red wine with a typical red-sauce pizza

J Lohr Merlot with Papa Murphy’s Thin Crust Sausage, Mushroom & Black Olive Pizza
American Merlot is certainly a different wine than my typical Italian choices, but it paired nicely with our pizza. I find Merlot so easygoing with generous fruit, it was very nice with the sausage, mushrooms and cheese. The black olives also seemed to be comfortable with all the blue/black fruit.  Certainly a nice relaxing dinner after the hectic drive up to the lake.

October is a great month to break out the Merlot!

J Lohr Vineyards and Winery
J Lohr was one of the early pioneers of grape growing and winemaking in the Central Coast. Early to the sustainability game, they were Certified California Sustainable in 2010. Their website includes extensive information about their sustainability efforts. Of course the wine must first be high quality, but I really appreciate seeing their efforts to be good environmental citizens.

J. Lohr “Los Osos” Paso Robles Merlot 2018

J. Lohor Los Osos Paso Robles AVA Merlot 2018 (sample, $15 SRP or online here) 13.9% abv
Eye: Deep ruby color
Nose: Medium intensity aromas of fresh ripe fruit: blackberry, black plum, figs, a hint of strawberry. A slight note of clean earth, perhaps aged in older oak.
Mouth: Dry, with medium intensity flavors of dark fruits with that touch of clean earth.  Medium acidity, medium fine grained tannins, medium alcohol, full body with a creamy texture and a nice medium+ finish.
Observations: A solid, enjoyable red wine at a great value. Well done!