Merlot 101

What kind of Marilyn Merlot Velvet Collection wine do I own?

My grandmother gave me a gift of Marilyn Merlot wine and I know very little about it, I'm not sure what year of make it is It comes in a black box that opens up and has Marilyn's picture in the front The actual bottle has a small ribbon at the bottom of the neck Thank you OK not sure what that first answer was about but please don't answer if you have nothing constructive to say

Public Comments

1. Reader is only safe from prospects of a Marilyn Merlot Collection if one hugs the nearest cold water filled white porcelain god (to speak 'in tongue' above its basin). Note: An astrophysicist might refer to the small ribbon as an ad-hoc 'event' horizon.
2. Marilyn Merlot Velvet Collection has 10 different bottles in the same vintage. The pictures were taken back in 1949 and were released as labels for the Marilyn Merlot Velvet Collection back in 2003. After they released the bottled, the original pictures were lost in a fire which made the wine more collectible for wine connoisseurs. Here is a quote from the makers of the wine.. "The wines themselves are proprietary blends of some of the finest red wine varietals - predominately Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot - grown in Napa Valley. The 2002 and 2004 vintage are both available in luxuriously boxed and individually numbered magnums or in Premiere Collectors' sets of 750ml, magnum, and double magnum bottles offered in wooden presentation cases. Each label of Velvet Collection wine is covered with a protective vinyl overlay that, when removed, reveals the complete, original portrait." So assuming your bottle has the clear label shown here http://www.marilynwines.com/04-vc/pp.jpg then that should identify your bottle as 2003-2004. There should also be an individually labeled number somewhere on the bottle to show it is part of the collector's edition. The fact that it came in a box pretty much says it is the 03-04 anyway since Merilyn Merlot wine, unboxed, is fairly common and can be found in most whole foods/winerys. Hope that helps a bit, good luck!