Re: WT101: Merlot - Was Miles right?
Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 11:26 am
Bill, just posted it in the Kitchen.
Premier nous sommes, WLDG ne change
http://forums.wineloverspage.com/
At least in California, merlot seems to have suffered the same fate as chardonnay--
Paul Winalski wrote:I wonder if "Sideways" is going to turn pinot noir into the next merlot, or whether the difficulties with growing that vine variety will save it from becoming the next generic CA red?
Paul Winalski wrote:I wonder if "Sideways" is going to turn pinot noir into the next merlot, or whether the difficulties with growing that vine variety will save it from becoming the next generic CA red?
I am afraid that Pinot is already being made generic in Central California anyway. We toured Santa Barbara wine country last summer and found quite generic Pinots at outrageous prices. The wineries were charging $45 per bottle, or more, for Pinot that was bland and weak with no real potential for improvement over time. One winery had marked up the price of their Pinot two times by simply drawing a pen line through the old price and writing in a new one, $10 higher, each time. I will just stick to the Pinots I enjoy from the Northwest and the Cotes, and let Cali decide what path it intends to follow.
Randy Buckner wrote:I think even Miles would enjoy some of these. Look to WA for serious Merlot.
2003 Tamarack, Merlot, Columbia Valley, Washington, $28, 1,456 cases. Purple/red in color, this is a full-throttled Merlot with jammy overtones and firm, rounded tannins. Black cherries, berries and white pepper spice come together to make a tasty package; 90/90.
Hoke wrote:Sam, I don't think you can attribute that solely to Sideways. They were doing that kind of stuff before the movie even came out.
Hoke wrote:So the message has always been explicit to me---and I think to anyone that walks into the room---that you as a walk in just don't count all that much...
Terri T wrote:Gosh, now I'm a bit embarrassed. I do know how to spell Zinfandel...I do..