April Wine Focus: A fresh look at Merlot

[Robin Garr]

It has been 10 years after the movie "Sideways" made Merlot a laughingstock with the snobby character Miles's angry remark about "#$%&ing Merlot," a laugh line that actually drove down Merlot sales in the US while starting a mini-boom for the Pinot Noir upon which the script lavished praise.

Of course, Merlot is what it is, and most wine geeks aren't going to have our tastes affected by a funny line in a movie; and that includes the screen writers and directors, who had the same character later going gaga over Chateau Cheval Blanc, a Right Bank Bordeaux that's predominantly ... Merlot.

So for this month's Wine Focus, let's try to give this much abused grape a second chance. We'll sample a variety of Merlots and see if we can't discern between the Cheval Blancs (and, more realistically, some Merlots of good QPR from around the world), and the overcropped, industrially made mass-market Merlot that made Miles so angry. There's good Merlot in the middle. Let's try to find it and share the news.

2011 Knapp, Finger Lakes, Merlot ($16.95, Alcohol level 12%-yes, 12%). The wine has a medium red color. In addition to the Merlot plumpness there is other red and black fruits on the nose and tongue tip. There is even more fruit in the complex middle that includes a hint of oak and chewy tannin. It is a very well balanced wine. The finish lingers on and on.

We matched it with rib eye steak, baked sweet potato, and salad.

[Robin Garr]

Here's an un-published TN on a California Wine Club selection from last year ...

Daniel Gehrs 2009 Central Coast Merlot

Clear garnet with a clear edge. Good cherry-berry scent with an edge of something "meaty." The label suggests leather, but I get something more like raw beef and black pepper. Tart, acidic and tannic on the palate, good fruit but its texture seems lighter than the aromas prepared me for. Let's wait and try it with food. Alcohol 13.6%. (March 23, 2013)

FOOD MATCH: Fried "chick'n" and broccoli with brown rice.

http//www.danielgehrswines.com

WTN: 2012 Lula Merlot Western Cape SA

My second bottle so far this year and my thoughts reflect my original post. A new label for Rudera which is a very good producer from S Africa

Good natural cork, did not show the 15.5% alc, $15 Cdn, nice looking package.
Plum and red berries on the nose. Initial entry thought is ripe fruit but not jammy. Have to wonder if this has seen any oak?
Cassis, black cherry, fair acidity, opened up after an hour and still good on day 2 but no evolvement. Plums, some earth, great wine for those looking for something under 20 bucks.

It has been 10 years after the movie "Sideways" made Merlot a laughingstock with the snobby character Miles's angry remark about "#$%&ing Merlot," a laugh line that actually drove down Merlot sales in the US while starting a mini-boom for the Pinot Noir upon which the script lavished praise.

Of course, Merlot is what it is, and most wine geeks aren't going to have our tastes affected by a funny line in a movie; and that includes the screen writers and directors, who had the same character later going gaga over Chateau Cheval Blanc, a Right Bank Bordeaux that's predominantly ... Merlot.

So for this month's Wine Focus, let's try to give this much abused grape a second chance. We'll sample a variety of Merlots and see if we can't discern between the Cheval Blancs (and, more realistically, some Merlots of good QPR from around the world), and the overcropped, industrially made mass-market Merlot that made Miles so angry. There's good Merlot in the middle. Let's try to find it and share the news.

Actually I think Cheval Blanc is 'predominatly Cabernet Franc' in most vintages. It has hit 60% merlot in some. Maybe I will look for something else.
Cheers, Gary

Opened a 2011 Selby Merlot last nite with venison steaks. This wine from Sonoma county was black and big with 14.7 % abv and full of plum fruit. Acidity was good and tannins were moderate but this wine was consumed WAY too young. Obviously no secondary flavors had emerged yet. Everything seemed in balance and it might turn into something really interesting in 8-10 years. Sales lady said they were known for their Merlot but I was previously more impressed with their Cabernet. I visited this winery in 2000 and found Ms. Selby (I believe it was her) to be most gracious and informative. I'll set aside my remaining bottle.

Spent a few hours at Cactus Club Cafe tonite! Really enjoyable `11 Cedar Creek Merlot from the Okanagan.
Deep, dark red cherry with aromas of vanilla, blackberries, fruitcake and chocolate. This is full-bodied with mouth filling flavours of ripe black fruits encased in soft, fine tannins. With high levels of concentration and extract, this wine will continue to improve for the next five years but really drinks so nicely now.

Mary Jo and I went out to a local restaurant with another couple, as this is Local Restaurant Week. With Steak Bradley (NY Strip with Blue Cheese Crust and Pinot Noir Wine Sauce) we ordered 2009 Rutherford Hills Merlot. This was actually one of the least expensive wines on the list ($22). Diam type cork closure. Medium ruby. Pleasant nose of plums with a touch of oak. Good acid, not overly tannnic, but good mouth cleansing qualities and well balanced. Medium finish. Nothing to jump up and down about, but it was decent and paired well with the meal.

Côtes du Marmandais Le Vin est une Fête 2005 - Domaine Elian da Ros - Alc.13% - (c.€10), made from 50% Merlot, 20% Cabernet franc, 30% Abouriou.

As the cuvée name implies this wine is made for "fun" early consumption and I can attest that it fulfils that role very well. It came as a pleasant surprise that this 2005 in its 9th year was still showing so well and had taken on complexity which compensated for loss of youthful exuberance. The medium++ bodied and well structured palate showed roundness and some depth with dark red ingratiating Merlot fruit mingled with notes of wet leather, tar and minerals. This is in no way just another Merlot but no doubt that grape contributes a smoothly marketable background to the more unusual notes coming from Abouriou and the Marmandais terroir. Good+. QPR.

Côtes du Marmandais is a formerly despised Bordeaux satellite appellation situated south-east of that city about 100km along the Garonne valley. In the last 15 years or so Elian Da Ros has been showing that this appellation can produce fine results and I have seen his Chante Coucou cuvée placed high as a ringer in a line up of prestigious St.Émilions. There are now some other good producers emerging perhaps inspired by Da Ros' example.

M. Breton at the Caves de Deauville still has some of the Da Ros Clos Bacquey cuvée from 2001 and 2002. Yum!

1999 Chateau Fontenil (Fronsac, Bordeaux). 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc
Michel Rolland, so I expected a fruit bomb. Maybe it was the bottle age, but this actually tasted to my inexperienced palate pretty classically Bordeaux. More on the savory and earthy side of things. Great acidity. Tannins still there, but softened. All about earthyness more than standard plum fruit. I really quite enjopyed it.

2011 Michel Schlumberger Merlot (Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County). I had not idea you could make nice Bordeaux varietals from the warm upper Dry Creek Valley. This is near Quivera and Preston Family and, if you like that kind of stuff, Rafanelli (I don't ) Anyway...definitely on the bright red cherry and red plum fruit side of things. Mouth cleansing acidity...lower alcohol (13%). A hint of earthy funk. Quite delicious. Only tried a quick sample, as they were absolutely slammed that day (Saturday), but it was well worth the drive and the lovely bicycle ride. Beautiful winery architecture and grounds, as well.

[Jenise]

Spent a few hours at Cactus Club Cafe tonite! Really enjoyable `11 Cedar Creek Merlot from the Okanagan.
Deep, dark red cherry with aromas of vanilla, blackberries, fruitcake and chocolate. This is full-bodied with mouth filling flavours of ripe black fruits encased in soft, fine tannins. With high levels of concentration and extract, this wine will continue to improve for the next five years but really drinks so nicely now.

This winery's wines are overpriced, but so often delightful in the way you describe. However, they have adopted a snooty corporate attitude about the superiority of thier wines and a trip to their tasting room can be a little hard to take. One of these days you need to come over the hill and do some tasting, btw--I'll meet you there!

[Jenise]

2011 Michel Schlumberger Merlot [/b](Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County). I had not idea you could make nice Bordeaux varietals from the warm upper Dry Creek Valley. This is near Quivera and Preston Family and, if you like that kind of stuff, Rafanelli (I don't ) Anyway...definitely on the bright red cherry and red plum fruit side of things. Mouth cleansing acidity...lower alcohol (13%). A hint of earthy funk. Quite delicious. Only tried a quick sample, as they were absolutely slammed that day (Saturday), but it was well worth the drive and the lovely bicycle ride. Beautiful winery architecture and grounds, as well.

I remember that about Michel-Schlumberger--beautiful, but not ostentatious or show-offy. In fact, much like the wines themselves. They've been selling a lot of wine on WTSO lately--made me wonder if the winery sold off--WTSO has been selling a lot of Havens and Cosentino too which have turned into upscale Two Buck Chucks.

I remember that about Michel-Schlumberger--beautiful, but not ostentatious or show-offy. In fact, much like the wines themselves. They've been selling a lot of wine on WTSO lately--made me wonder if the winery sold off--WTSO has been selling a lot of Havens and Cosentino too which have turned into upscale Two Buck Chucks.

The only thing I can think of is the original French duo DID sell the winery...to an American Francophile who was apparantly always a silent partner in the project. I have heard the American owns five wineries in France, so he is definitely into the French wine tradition! They are tucked away, but people seem to be finding them (the staff was a little overwhelmed on Saturday, as I said.) The wines are very fine...even their $20 kitchen sink blend was deliciously funky and earthy!

As you mentioned, Havens is just a label now. Nothing to do with original project. They have a tasting room they shared with Stonehenge Terrible stuff.

I had one Cosentino wine years ago. Some special baseball player cuvee. It tasted like it was fermented in new oak, aged in new oak, then bottle aged in oak bottles. What the heck was I thinking?

Château Macquin - Saint-Georges Saint-Émilion 2009 - Denis Corre-Macquin - Alc.13.5% - (c.€16 bin-end) from estate planted with 80% Merlot and 10% each of Cabs franc and Sauv.

I seem to have caught this wine in the middle of a closed period. It was aromatically inexpressive with almost no nose at all, just mineral hints. The medium + bodied palate was sturdily built with plenty of fruit, albeit rather dull at present, decent non astringent acidity and plenty of substance and backbone. There were no hints of jamminess and obtrusive oak, both frequent sins in right-bank Merlot dominated clarets and, in time, this should become the sort of wine I like. Potentially good.

From the estate's website, it transpires that the owners breed Briard dogs , one of which my son is urging me to buy as a guard for our rather remote new house. Maybe a good excuse to visit the Bordeaux area .

I remember that about Michel-Schlumberger--beautiful, but not ostentatious or show-offy. In fact, much like the wines themselves. They've been selling a lot of wine on WTSO lately--made me wonder if the winery sold off--WTSO has been selling a lot of Havens and Cosentino too which have turned into upscale Two Buck Chucks.

Jenise, I have recently signed on with WTSO, and am still trying to make up my mind about them. I have a problem with every (nearly) wine they sell being rated 91 points, and many of the wines I have never heard of, yet I have ordered 6 four packs and have liked what I have opened so far. I think I will need to pick and choose carefully. If you see something that is a do not miss, fire me a heads up.

[Jenise]

I remember that about Michel-Schlumberger--beautiful, but not ostentatious or show-offy. In fact, much like the wines themselves. They've been selling a lot of wine on WTSO lately--made me wonder if the winery sold off--WTSO has been selling a lot of Havens and Cosentino too which have turned into upscale Two Buck Chucks.

Jenise, I have recently signed on with WTSO, and am still trying to make up my mind about them. I have a problem with every (nearly) wine they sell being rated 91 points, and many of the wines I have never heard of, yet I have ordered 6 four packs and have liked what I have opened so far. I think I will need to pick and choose carefully. If you see something that is a do not miss, fire me a heads up.

Bob, they sell a few honestly good things at terrific prices, but I'm concluding that most are obscure or even 'fake' wines or wineries that were never offered at real retail (for a reason). And some of the wineries, as the two mentioned above, went T-U and sold off the rights to the name to bulk juice bottlers--seemingly lots of those on WTSO too. And then there's those inevitable 91 or 92 pt ratings from their inhouse flack. You have to fact check very carefully--too carefully, IMO.

Bob, I buy a lot of wine from WTSO, and except for the occasional disappointment (Havens Bourriquot, I'm still drinking the 2003 and it is great) the Napa and Sonoma Cabs. have been buying are very fine (Lieff, Sodaro Felicity,DeSante,Bugay) and the Champagnes also at much cheaper prices than anywhere else. As Jenise said you have to do your research...CellarTracker and wine-searcher,but wonderful finds can be found.

Bob, I buy a lot of wine from WTSO, and except for the occasional disappointment (Havens Bourriquot, I'm still drinking the 2003 and it is great) the Napa and Sonoma Cabs. have been buying are very fine (Lieff, Sodaro Felicity,DeSante,Bugay) and the Champagnes also at much cheaper prices than anywhere else. As Jenise said you have to do your research...CellarTracker and wine-searcher,but wonderful finds can be found.

Jim, I have ordered from WTSO 4 times (now 5 times but the 5th is not here yet) and I have yet to be disappointed. I don't buy nor drink much sparkling wines and when I do it is usually domestic, and always from Gruet.

Château Thieuley - Bordeaux - 2010 - Courselle family - Alc.13% - (c.€7), made from Merlot 75%, CabSauv 25% and tank aged.

Good deep red colour and nose open for business with nice notes of red and dark fruit. A fruity medium bodied palate showing easy Merlot round charm with a certain richness which avoided cloy thanks to decent acidity and more than adequate tannic backbone. Very enjoyable, almost "fun", without huge complexity or development potential, but who can complain at that price point? Good. QPR.

Château Thieuley http://thieuley.com/# is quite a big estate located in the Entre-deux-Mers area whose wines are frequently found in Belgian and French supermarkets. Both the red and white entry level cuvées are reliable buys but I have some reservations about their more up-market cuvées baptised Francis Courselle because of a tendency towards over-ambitious raising

Château Thieuley - Bordeaux - 2010 - Courselle family - Alc.13% - (c.€7), made from Merlot 75%, CabSauv 25% and tank aged.

Thanks for the note Tim. By over-ambitious raising, do you mean that the wines are quite manipulated?

Thanks for the note Tim. By over-ambitious raising, do you mean that the wines are quite manipulated?

Bob,

Manipulated is a bit strong. It's more a matter of sometimes inappropriate extraction and new wood. I often find myself preferring entry level wines to their more ambitious brothers, not just at Thieuley, for that reason. It can work in some ripe vintages, probably in 2010 in fact, but not in others. I'll look out for a recent Cuvée Francis Courselle to see how it now performs.

"No grape in itself is bad, it is only man that maketh it so."
- Jean Feury Lemerlot

In the Collio/Brda Merlot turns out best as far as red grapes go, better than Cab S. and Cab F.
Every terroir has its grape. Sideways didn't malign Merlot, it maligned industrial wine. In North Carolina, where I currently reside, there's big investments being made to create a wine industry despite the fact that the humidity makes it a foolish pursuit (as Thomas Jefferson already knew). They try to grow all kinds of "popular" grapes even though it is hybrids like Chambourcin that grow best.

"No grape in itself is bad, it is only man that maketh it so."
- Jean Feury Lemerlot

In the Collio/Brda Merlot turns out best as far as red grapes go, better than Cab S. and Cab F.
Every terroir has its grape. Sideways didn't malign Merlot, it maligned industrial wine. In North Carolina, where I currently reside, there's big investments being made to create a wine industry despite the fact that the humidity makes it a foolish pursuit (as Thomas Jefferson already knew). They try to grow all kinds of "popular" grapes even though it is hybrids like Chambourcin that grow best.

Interesting point there, Agostino. I think that a lot of us were worried by Merlot's tendency to make jammy and cloying wines for populist tastes and its use to dumb down wines from more rigorous varieties well before Sideways (2004 according to IMDB). However, Miles certainly struck a chord when he vilified Merlot and made many of us secretly ashamed to buy a wine with "Merlot" prominent on the front label (same goes to some extent for Chardonnay and, say, Pinot Grigio without Miles' help).

It's not an original thought to say that Merlot does best when grown in cool areas which play down its populist tendencies and when blended with other more structured grapes; the former probably explains its success in Collio.

However, the one really distinguished 100% Merlot which I has passed through my cellar was Lamaione 1995 from Tuscany, not exactly a cool area, and everyone quotes Pétrus as the outstanding exception to the rule on the need for blending. Alas Pétrus has only passed my lips twice, both times in taste and spit contexts .

[Robin Garr]

Chateau Bellevue Peycharneau 2011 Bordeaux Superieur ($17.99)

A blend of 65% Merlot with 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. Very dark purple with a clear garnet edge. Fruit-forward aromas are almost "New World" in style: ripe cherries and berries plus a whiff of anise and a spicy note of European oak. Warm and mouth-filling, 13.5% alcohol; red fruit and tart acidity over firm, astringent tannins. U.S. importer: Acquitaine Wine USA, LLC, Berkeley. A Jean-Christophe Calvet USA Exclusive wine. (April 16, 2014)

FOOD MATCH: The back label suggests steaks, pork loin, lamb chops, turkey and cheeses or "enjoy it alone." I'm not so sure about that last, as it's really tannic and tart enough to need food for balance. It made a fine match with spaghetti with an Italian-American spaghetti with tomato "gravy."

WHEN TO DRINK: Plenty of fruit and plenty of tannin, with a good acidic structure, suggest that a few years under good cellar conditions will do this wine no harm.

VALUE: Wine-Searcher.com lists a $15 median retail price for all vintages of Bellevue Peycharneau; however, the 2011 is now going for a median $7. Pay your money and take your choice.

WEB LINK: The Chateau Bellevue Peycharneau website is published in French and English. Here's a link to the English-language start page.
http://www.bellevue-peycharneau.fr/index_en.htm

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Find vendors and check prices for Chateau Bellevue Peycharneau Bordeaux Superieur on Wine-Searcher.com.
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/belle ... g_site=WLP