This wine is a wonderful dark, thick purple colour, with legs like Chris Hoy. It smells of cigar box, or at least it smells of a mix of wood and tobacco, which I imagine a cigar box would smell like as I’ve never actually smelled a box of cigars.
It also smells of cherries, I’ve smelled a lot of those, these were dark Morello types.
This Canus Merlot Colli Orientali del Friuli from Berry Bros & Rudd is dry, with a medium full body, with a little bit of extra dark chocolate on the palate. There’s firm and ripe tannins and a medium high level of alcohol.
It’s a big wine and can stand up to robust food. It’s not cheap at around £15 a bottle, but worthwhile when you’re in the mood for something a little more.