From the wine rack ... Hyatt Vineyards Cab-Merlot

My husband bought me a wine rack for my birthday in July - capable of holding 72 bottles of beautiful, beautiful vino.  I am never going to pretend to be a wine expert, but I am happy to drink what I love and tell others about my finds.

Pre-wine rack, I got an email from Groupon that featured a deal where you spend $25 and get a $75 gift card from Barclay's Wine.  Curious to try Groupon and pretty fond of wine, I figured this was a win-win for me.

And boy was it ... Barclay's has a limited selection, but it had enough red varietals to pique my interest.

The first wine I tried out of my Barclay's stash was Hyatt Vineyards Cab-Merlot - a non-vintage blend hailing from Yakima Valley, Washington.  And wow ... the bottle retails at $18, but given this is a fully-matured blend, I wouldn't blink at the cost.

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Name: Hyatt Vineyards – Non-Vintage Cabernet Merlot

Year: Non-Vintage

Particulars: "This Non-Vintage Cabernet/Merlot marks a return to our original practice of assembling this easy-drinking introduction to Hyatt Vineyard's red wines from select lots of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot across several vintages. While the varietal components are 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, the Cabernet is 98% from the 2003 vintage and 2% from Reserve 2001; the Merlot is all 2002. Delicious blackberry flavors and clean, rich finish make this a great match for meats, tomato-based sauces and pure enjoyment." (From vineyard's website.)

Drank: August 2011

Where Purchased: Barclay’s Wine (as part of Groupon offer …). Normally $17.95/bottle (that's minus shipping and handling ... Barclay's has free shipping offers from time to time.)

Notes: This wine needed to breathe before consuming. After it had a chance to breathe, it was very rich, more of a darker flavor, very good.  Special occasion wine.

**Amended note:  On a whim and because I am operating the under the premise that if I find a wine that I like, I will try to find out information about said wine and determine whether I should acquire more of it, I sent an email to the contact information on the vineyard's website.  That afternoon, I had an email from their national sales manager.  This wine is ready to drink NOW and is fully developed.  And the depressing part?  The vineyard is discontinuing this wine, so once it's gone from Barclay's there is no more.