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TreeHouse Tasting No.21 - Bota Box 2008 Merlot

» posted by Rich on 2010-01-06 23:02:14

I'm the wine in the box.
Feed my mouth, can you sew it shut?

Listen, I'm no wine snob, but the thought of drinking a wine from a box makes me want to sew my mouth shut. But I've been hearing some good stuff about Bota Box wines. It can't be any worse than Two Buck Chuck, right? And please don't get me wrong... I drink me some Two Buck Chuck. But I consider it a "wine drink" more than "real" wine. Kind of like a Twinkie is cake food... not really cake. But you still crave one every now and then. Heck, sometimes it's the perfect snack.

The Bota Box packaging is pretty cool. The label reminds you that you get three liters of wine, the equivalent of four 7fifties... which is pretty economical, easy to carry, and with less waste. No doubt about it. Not to mention that it claims to stay fresh a month after it's been opened! [we guessed that means that it tastes the same a month later as it did when you opened it. Whether that taste is "fresh" to begin with is up for debate].

I was at a holiday party when I was handed a glass and told about the box of wine in the kitchen. "Help yourself, " I was told. Okay. I opened the easy-to-use spout on the box and poured myself a glass of 2008 Merlot.

I didn't get a whole lot on the nose, but nothing bad... maybe a little oak and dark fruit. But the surprise was on the palate, where it didn't try to do too much. It has a nice cherry and oaky, Merlot flavor... not at all terrible. It kind of dies on the finish... which is better than a bad aftertaste.

After a few glasses we started getting into it. We all joked about the name, Bota Box. Like some Italian gangsters came home from the grocery store...

"Eh... I couldn't find no bott-els of wine... so I Bota Box".
[with a thick mobster accent - think Sopranos]

Hilarity ensued... I assure you.

I was not, not impressed with the Bota box 2008 Merlot. It has it's place, for sure. I think I wanted to like it less than I did. It's kind of easy to poke fun at a wine in a box... (actually, don't poke the box). But honestly, it's not bad.

This wine is currently unrated.