I Heart Merlot, 75cl

Product Information

Merlot is a red wine known for being soft, ripe, elegant, and easy to drink. It originated in the Bordeaux region of France and is the second most popular red grape in America after Cabernet Sauvignon. Is Merlot a good wine for beginners?

However, the vast majority of Merlot in Italy is grown in Friuli where it produces a range of styles from simple and fruity reds to more full bodied and tannic wines meant for aging. Pepper Bridge Winery in Washington State. USA And I got to thank Darby Cicci for making this amazing song: Listen to this epic stuff. And finally, I want to thank the VinePair staff for helping me learn more every day. Thanks for listening. I’ll see you next week. A pioneer of the Santa Lucia Highlands, Steve McIntyre planted nearly 20% of the entire AVA and farmed nearly a third of the region’s vineyards. He took his unique perspective of terroir to other regions including Arroyo Seco. Like other Central Coast AVAs, Arroyo Seco boasts one of the longest growing seasons with its proximity to the Pacific Ocean which helps to cool down the region at night. Total Vineyard Area – 658,387 acres (266,440 hectares) (data from 2016) Old Merlot vines from Vieux Château Certan in Pomerol. Bordeaux, France One thing about Bordeaux that I couldn’t mention in the Bordeaux episode is that the majority of the activity in old-school Bordeaux before the Médoc was even created, because it was created, took place mostly south of the town of Bordeaux. A lot of wine was made in Entre-Deux-Mers, that big swath of forested vineyard land, where all the white wine is made now.Merlot is a lot about texture, more than it is about varietal characteristics and aroma. But the cool thing about Merlot, and somebody who was part of the DNA profiling had this to say about it: From its mother Madeleine, it gets its early ripening because that grape was an early ripening variety, from its father Cab Franc, it gets it’s high-quality tannin and pigment. Also, when it’s grown in cooler climates, you can get some of this herbaceous nuance with Merlot and that is absolutely a characteristic that comes from Cab Franc. I still remember my first exposure to Keenan Winery at wine tasting when “The Corkscrew Concierge” first started really getting into wine. It was their Napa Valley Merlot, and it was a wine that made an impression on me. Robert Keenan Winery is nestled on the Mayacamas Mountain Range near the top of the spring Mountain District. The mountain estate is comprised of 48 acres of vineyard and they have been producing wine since 1977. If you’re looking for the “all mountain experience” then this is your wine. But know that even their “regular” Merlot is overwhelmingly Spring Mountain fruit (the 2019 vintage is 87%) with the rest coming from Carneros. Hard to go wrong with either. Diamond Mountain I appreciate Merlot for the simple fact that it generally plays in the middle. If you have folks that prefer light-bodied reds and those that prefer the heavier, bolder stuff, Merlot is almost always a great compromise. Medium levels of tannin, acid, body, and alcohol helps it bridge the gap between the wines at the ends of the spectrum. So while it doesn’t command the same prominence (nor price tag) as blending partner Cabernet Sauvignon, it has the ability to please a wide variety of palates. But when it comes to what I like to call “Mountain Merlot” the rules are a little different. What happens when this grape leaves its home? We don’t see a lot of Merlot being celebrated outside of Bordeaux. There is Merlot being made in the southwestern part of France, north of Bordeaux, and also in southern France, but Bordeaux is really where it shines. But because of its early ripening and because of its friendly high yielding, it is the blending grape for the world, it seems, for red wine. As of 2010, it was the second-most-planted grape on the planet.

I still remember the chance meeting at a restaurant when I met a wine rep for Lobo Wines and she told me all about winemaker Victoria Coleman. I was all in! There are many great wines out there, but when you find a wine story that speaks to you, that is what helps to make that wine more memorable. And I so loved Victoria’s story – and her wines – that I was thrilled to write about it all. While they use most of their Merlot to blend into the higher value Cab Sauv, they do use a small amount for a varietal Merlot. It’s kind of wild. Cab Franc gives Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon its peppery stuff. I mentioned this in the Bordeaux episode, but we might as well mention it again because it’s the Merlot episode, the majority of those affordable Bordeaux coming from the Right Bank from the Côtes de Bordeaux and Bordeaux AOC and Bordeaux AOC Supérieur, those are all primarily Merlot blends. And this is aided by the fact that it is an early ripening variety but also it’s very friendly to a high yield. And speaking of high yields, California, my god … we’ll get there. So in its home, it’s known mostly as a blending variety, with few exceptions. When a character in the 2004 film ‘Sideways’ expressed a distinct disdain for Merlot, this unduly influenced perceptions and sales of Merlot dipped while Pinot Noir, the film’s favored grape, soared.

Merlot is a great wine to play with, as it matches with a wide variety of foods. Don’t be afraid to experiment! So what does Merlot from Bordeaux taste like? You’ll find a unique mix of rich plum and distinct earthy notes and herbal nuances. The best wines have smoke and clove notes from oak aging. Here are two great appellations to find age-worthy Merlot. But there’s more to Merlot than being smooth. It’s actually a bit of a chameleon, partly because of how Merlot is vinified and mostly because of where it’s grown. No matter where it’s grown though you can expect these characteristics.