Cabernet or Merlot?

I got to taste 2 very reasonably priced wines the other day. One being my favorite Varietal while the other was the much maligned Merlot. Both Wines were under $20.00 per Bottle.
Now mind you!!! I am not an expert. If you were to put 2 Cabs and 2 Merlots in front of me and made me taste them blind, lets just say I probably wouldn't get them all right. It is 2 grape varietals that always trick me a bit on the nose and even sometimes on the palate. From my standpoint, Merlot always seems to be softer on the palate, but what do I know.

Anyhoo!

The Cabernet I tasted was 2006 Sean Minor 4 Bears Cabernet.
http://www.4bearswinery.com/
The wine is a blend of 85% Cab, 13% Merlot and 2% Petite Verdot. The alcohol levels on the wine are good at 13.5% which I like, but the wine sees some time in American Oak barrels which I don't like. The nose has light tobacco notes which is ok. A bit of bitter chocolate and berry fruit do come Thur on the palate. I am not really sure if this wine would benefit from aging or decanting. I only got to try the wine at a tasting, but for $16.99 per bottle. The price seems very fair for what you get. I rate this wine on the parker scale, 83 points.

The poor maligned Merlot I got to taste was the 2005 Tin Roof Cellars Merlot.
http://www.tinroofcellars.com/
The poor poor Merlot grape has gotten a bad rap since "SIDEWAYS". Don't get me wrong! I almost gotta agree! Why reach for a Merlot when you can reach for a beautiful Cabernet instead. Besides! like I mentioned earlier, the 2 grapes throw this wino off sometimes when I taste them.

This Merlot I kinda liked. It does have a bit of Cabernet and Petite Syrah blended in. I would think the petite syrah is to lift the tannins on this wine because to me they are not subtle. The nose on this wine was very fruit forward. Cherries, plums. On the palate I puckered up a bit, but the hints of Chocolate and tobacco came Thur. The wine did have an herbal character that I could not figure out. I tasted this wine directly from the bottle, so no decanting what so ever. I would think that might of benefited the wine some. Overall! For the price of $19.99 per this was a decent little wine. I rate this wine 85 points on the parker scale.

Overall I liked both wines. They were not seriously complex or Over the top Fruit Bombs. I would like to thank my friends at Vinatero Wine Shop for the tastings. http://www.vinaterowineshop.com/.

Try em if you dare!
Cheers