This Penne Boscaiolo recipe tastes like a weekend meal, but could be put together on a weeknight.  I paired  it with Merlot with excellent results! Disclosure: Wine provided as a complimentary sample by Duckhorn Vineyards. No other payments were involved and all opinions expressed in my blog posts are my own.

Do you know that October is Merlot Month?  You’ll see the hashtag #MerlotMe popping up on social media everywhere  during the month of October as more than 100 wineries, wine merchants, restaurants celebrate  around the world with fans of this “noble” grape variety. It all culminates with International Merlot Day on November 7.

In honor of #MerlotMe, our Wine Pairing Weekend group  of food and wine writers will be celebrating Merlot at the dinner table, pairing Merlot with a wide variety of foods.

I beyond excited because I received quite a few sample bottles of Merlot, and I’m a big fan of this sometimes underappreciated grape variety.

I decided to feature a single Merlot and food pairing for this post, but I plan to do a “round-up” post of the other Merlot samples I received towards the end of the month.

The Wine

The 2015 Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot is a blend of several individual vineyard lots that including both estate fruit, and fruit from top independent growers throughout the Napa Valley.  The blend includes 85% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. It was aged 15 Months in 100% French Oak (40% New, 60% Neutral).

My tasting notes follow:

Color – Opaque garnet
Aromas – Very appealing black cherry, plum, vanilla, cacao, and baking spice with hints of violets and blueberries
Body – Full-bodied with medium acidity, and velvety tannins.
Taste – Black cherry, cassis, vanilla, spice, plum, and dark chocolate with a hint of blueberry.
Finish – Long

This is a flat-out delicious, world-class Merlot that shows why Napa Valley, with its various micro climates and soils, is a world-class wine region.

14.5% abv|SRP-$56| 91pts

To learn more about Duckhorn Vineyards, read their story here!

 The Food and Wine Pairing

Penne Boscaiolo is an earthy and smoky pasta dish rich with mushrooms, tomato, cream, and bacon.

I chose this dish because I’ve enjoyed Merlot with Italian dishes before…and well…bacon…and cream…and wild mushrooms (just a few of my favorite things;-)

It’s a fantastic dish that I’ll definitely be making again!

As for the pairing?  The Duckhorn Merlot and the Penne Boscaiolo is a match made in heaven!

Our Wine Pairing Weekend group loves to find creative, new pairings of wines with food. Check out these great ideas for Merlot wine and food pairings:

• Jill at l’Occasion shares “#MerlotMe In The Kitchen“
• Cindy at Grape-Experiences writes “#MerlotMe with Family, Friends, and Food“
• Lori at Dracaena shares “ #MerlotMe and the Little Chef “
• Gwen at Wine Predator shares “Washington #MerlotMe Paired with Ahi Tuna and Salmon for #WinePW“
• Rupal at Syrah Queen shares “Celebrating #Merlotme with Duckhorn & L’Ecole 41”
  
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “So Many Merlots, So Many Pairings for #WinePW“
• David at Cooking Chat shares “BBQ Beef Stew with Three Palms Merlot“
• Michelle at Rockin Red Blog shares “Enough Already! Just Drink Merlot”
• Sarah at Curious Cuisiniere shares “Peking Duck and a Merlot Wine Pairing“
• Jane at Always Ravenous shares “Food Pairings for Merlot Lovers“
• Julian at BC Wine Trends shares “BC Merlot with Ribs for Thanksgiving”
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “A month of #MerlotMe Wine and Food Pairings”
  
• Nicole at Somms Table shares “2 oz Pour: #MerlotMe Moments“
• Liz from What’s in that Bottle shares “I’ve Got #MerlotMe Mania”
• Jeff at Food Wine Click! shares “Merlot for Every Day of the Week”
• Jennifer at Vino Travels Italy shares “You Had me at #MerlotMe With Ca’Momi“

We’ll host an hour-long chat on Twitter on Saturday, Oct. 13 at 11am EDT, 8am PST.  Come and join us at the #MerlotMe and #WinePW hashtags on Twitter.  Join the conversation!