Menage a Trois Lavish Merlot California Red Wine 750 ml

Our grape research notes that Merlot generally ripens earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon, and that it can carry a wine on its own or soften a Cabernet-led blend. This one comes from California, and among the reds we track, its price sits near the bottom. In September 2026, the top we saw across six stores was $14.99.

Per Ménage à Trois, the website's owner and operator is Trinchero Family Wine and Spirits. We do not have a shopper rating for this wine. The lowest in those same September 2026 checks was $10.99.

Ménage à Trois's own product page for Lavish Merlot describes an alluring blueberry cordial fragrance opening onto ripe blueberries, juicy black plums, dark cocoa and vanilla, closing in what the producer calls a smooth, chocolaty finish, full-bodied with a soft, round mouthfeel. The producer sources the fruit from vineyards in California's Central Coast and the Lodi/Clarksburg appellations and states the wine spends time in French and American oak to round out the flavor and mouthfeel. The producer's recipe pages pair the bottle with dishes as varied as Japanese ramen, chocolate truffles and red wine poached pears, an indulgent framing that matches the wine's name. The producer's page also cites a 91-point score, but it does not say who awarded it, so that number stands as an on-label claim rather than a confirmed critic's score; the site states no alcohol level, vintage or exact blend makeup beyond the Merlot on the label.

Our call: buy it for the producer's own indulgent style and food-pairing story, near the bottom of what the reds we track cost. Pass if you want a shopper rating or a named critic behind that 91-point claim; neither is on record here, and the alcohol level and exact blend go unstated too.

The Grocery Store Wine Desk · written Sep 16, 2026 from our research file for this wine. Numbers reflect our latest checks.