A fantastic Italian Merlot tasted while on a secret mission.

Owing to the sensitive nature of the weekend’s top secret mission, details of where we dined cannot be revealed.

I did however want to share my joy in drinking a bottle of mostly Merlot from Lis Neris in Friuli. I’ve known and followed the winery for years and have loved the wines.

When I saw a 2016 Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon blend for a reasonable price, I snagged it and man, was I rewarded with freshness, rich but buoyant fruit, hallmark Merlot flavors, and a great pairing for a perfectly aged prime New York strip topped with Roquefort.

As much as we all (wrongly) dissed Merlot from Tuscany and Umbria in the 2000s (me included), I never stopped drinking Merlot from Friuli (and from Veneto) where diluvial and limestone soils deliver some of the best Italian expressions of the grape variety (the other place where I’ve had great Merlot is the volcanic-rich soils of Latium).

At eight years from harvest, the Lis Neris was at its peak of fruit and earthiness. What a great wine! And what a great value!

Oh, and the secret mission, you ask? It was a success!