Lyeth 2013 Meritage ($10)

This Meritage from Lyeth is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.  The name "Meritage" was created in 1988 when U.S. wine makers decided to form an alliance and a name for their blended wines. By blending the words 'Merit' for having worth, and 'Heritage' for the Bordeaux style of wine making, they created a new word, Meritage. But instead of making this blend sound like a French wine, they insisted that Meritage be pronounced like the word heritage.  This Meritage from Lyeth is a nice example of a traditional Bordeaux blend.