Merlot: Lindeman's "Bin 40" 2010 ($6)

"Sour, red-colored water."

My bestest friend D and I decided that we wanted to get very, very drunk before we went out in the cold to a party, so we decided to buy one wine apiece and then each drink half of both bottles. That way, we could write two reviews!

My pick was a 2011 Turning Leaf Merlot (reviewed in another post); D also chose a Merlot, from Lindeman's promisingly-named "Bin" series. We went to my room, uncorked both bottles, and let them "breathe."

The Lindeman's was less bland than the Turning Leaf, and more smooth, but also far more bitter. "It doesn't smell..." said D. "It doesn't smell!"

I smelled it. "It does," I said.

"Not really."

We invited our housemate, N, to take a sip. "This is pretty bad!" he said, after thinking. "This is pretty terrible. I mean, I'll still drink it, but... Yeah, this is terrible. Sour, red-colored water." He then said, "It doesn't smell like anything."

We also invited our housemate, S, to try it. S said that it was "dope."

VERDICT: Smooth, but very bitter.