I Heart Merlot, 75cl

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Often throughout these episodes, I have mentioned the variety Cabernet Franc, and I call it an orphan grape. And I never really explained what that means. We know that Cabernet Franc originated in the Basque region of Spain, where it was called Achéria. DNA profiling cannot find its parentage, so it’s an orphan grape. It appeared in the Basque region of Spain, and then it began to travel with humans, eventually making its way to the Bordeaux region. I love Merlot. I think it is such an awesome grape that makes awesome wine. It’s a workhorse around the world for blending, but there are places in the world outside of France that do 100 percent Merlot that is just stunning as well. If it’s done right, in the right soils, and the right climates, it is just beautiful. Even though the thing is it’s not really about aroma, you can get some blueberries sometimes, and there’s that peppery note that comes in, but it’s the texture of Merlot that is so wonderful. And one of those places in the world outside of France that makes Merlot this way is Italy. And not just Italy, Friuli. One day I should do a Friuli episode, am I right? The Merlot coming out of Friuli can be so wonderful. It’s often a 100 percent variety, sometimes it’s blended with Cab Franc, but the climate there and the soils and the slight elevation of their vineyards, just make the most beautiful Merlot. There actually is Merlot made on the lower plains area, which is a little more basic, but still beautiful and plump and juicy. But Merlot in Friuli is a thing, it’s not often available, but you should definitely try to seek it out, because that’ll give you a sense of what a 100 percent Merlot can taste like in one of its purest forms. Consisting of 100% Merlot, this one gives off baking spice, cedar, red plum, cherry and a touch of mocha. It is quite refined with bright acidity and fine grain tannins. An excellent food wine for sure.

Despite its impressive qualities, Merlot has often played second fiddle to Cabernet Sauvignon, both in blends and in public opinion—a phenomenon that became particularly pronounced after the infamous ‘Sideways effect’. What to expect: In Italy, especially Tuscany, Merlot is a darling partner to grapes like (surprise!) Cabernet Sauvignon, (alongside Sangiovese) in a style of wine lovingly named “Super Tuscan”. Super Tuscans can be a bit like Bordeaux on steroids. New York is doing Merlot in a really wonderful way. Last episode, we talked about the Riesling happening in the Finger Lakes. Well, the Finger Lakes also does really great Cab Franc and Merlot. But Merlot really shines on Long Island, specifically on what’s called the North Fork of Long Island. It’s a bunch of old potato farms that are now vineyards, and it has a great climate. There’s actually a sign when you’re going to Long Island saying, “Last stop before Bordeaux,” because it’s across the ocean and stuff. But it’s a great place for Merlot, and I’m sure you’ll see some of that on the American market. Merlot wines typically contain around 13.5 percent ABV but can approach 14.5 percent and beyond, especially when grown in the warmer climates of Australia, California, or Chile. VinePair’s tasting methodologyMerlot 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? Merlot should be enjoyed slightly below room temperature, ideally 60-68°F (15-20°C). This ensures the aromas are emphasized, but not the alcohol. Now, for some credits. How about that? Wine 101 is recorded and produced by yours truly, Keith Beavers, at the VinePair headquarters in New York City. I want to give a big shout-out to co-founders Adam Teeter and Josh Malin. I also want to thank Danielle Grinberg for making the most legit Wine 101 logo.

To this day, 10 to 15 percent of all Merlot made in California goes into a California blend. It’s a blending variety. It just is. But when it’s in the right place. it can be beautifully done. And there are places, specifically in California, in Napa, that are very good for Merlots, that are often 100 percent Merlots. You have the cool climate of the Carneros region, which actually has some fun Merlots. Coombsville, Oak Knoll, and, of course, the famous Stags Leap district, which is near Carneros. Those areas have great soil and climate for good Merlot that people make, and they don’t have to blend it with other varieties. OK, so it’s not California’s fault as a whole. In wine, it’s usually the human’s fault, not the wine’s fault, because the humans are the ones that make everything crazy. And this thing went crazy. Gwen at Wine Predator shares “ California vs. France #MerlotMe with squash, chard, and bow tie pasta”So Thing 2 (my younger son) has decided that he is a steak connoisseur ever since the entire family went to an upscale steak house for Father’s Day. Steak is now one of his favorite foods. Go figure as a year ago, I couldn’t pay him to eat beef! As he loves fried rice, he was thrilled to learn it came with something other than shrimp – beef. So on one of our takeout nights, I opted for Beef Fried Rice. And with this being a more structured and powerful Merlot, it was well suited for the beef. L’Ecole N° 41 Merlot + BLTs Actually, Merlot makes up 15 percent of the wine produced in Friuli. And sometimes they call it Merlott, with two “T”s at the end, because it’s part of their dialect. But what’s really interesting is there’s an actual agriturismo touring route called Strata de Merlot. It goes along one of the main rivers in Friuli, the Isonzo river. And you can travel along the river and you hit all these little towns and you drink Merlot the whole time. It’s real. It’s awesome. Outside of Friuli in northern Italy, Merlot has grown all over the place in the Veneto and the Trentino-Alto Adige, but significantly. Merlot plays a big role in the central part of Italy in Umbria. In Tuscany, in Chianti Classico, Merlot is allowed in their blends. And I have to say, there’s something really nice about a Merlot and a Sangiovese being blended together. Sangiovese has this crazy ripe cranberry and cherry thing going on, and Merlot comes in and softens and rounds it off. It’s just beautiful. Also in Bolgheri, which we’ve talked about before, Merlot is allowed in those blends and it softens the Cabernet that’s grown in that area. Just south of Tuscany in Umbria, there is a grape that’s native to that region called Sagrantino. It’s one of the most tannic varieties on the planet. It’s huge and ages forever. And sometimes, they blend that with Merlot and it’s just an amazing thing. What it does is it softens and keeps the depth, and it’s really an awesome blend. And they call that Montefalco Rosso, which is an appellation in Umbria. Merlot can be a bit of a chameleon; ranging from fruity, smooth and easy-going to age-worthy, full-bodied, and sophisticated. Often mistaken for its blending partner, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot is not one to be underestimated.

What to expect: In the United States, Merlot is most well-known growing alongside Cabernet Sauvignon in California and Washington state. Compared to France and Italy, you’ll find riper more fruit forward styles in general, but each state and AVA produce different wines based on their unique terroir. 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.If you were to head north off the coast of the Basque region of Spain, you would be in the Bay of Biscay. And if you go straight north from the Basque region, the town called Bilbao, which is the capital of that region, you would hit the northwestern peninsula of France, which is called Brittany. Inland from the coast of Brittany is a town called Saint-Suliac (my French is terrible). Here, in the middle ages, was a monastery or an abbey — monks were everywhere around this time. And of course being monks, they had vineyards and it’s thought that the Cabernet Franc grape, at the time, made its way to Brittany. And then from Brittany down into the Loire Valley, then from the Loire Valley down into Bordeaux. What to expect: Chile is another perfect homeland for Merlot. The wines from here vary from easy-drinking and fruity bottlings of the Central Valley, to more structured and serious examples from Colchagua, Maule Valley, and Maipo. Outside of California — Merlot is grown everywhere, it’s all over the United States. If there’s a wine- growing region in the United States, Merlot is being grown. It was once a big deal in Washington State, and they make great Merlot over there. But, like California, it was more popular in the ’80s and the ’90s. It’s still there, but just not as popular as Riesling. A large, oversized wine glass is suitable for Merlot. Its shape aids aeration, highlighting the wine’s aromas. Decanting for approximately 30 minutes prior to serving allows Merlot to fully open up.

OK, here we are. We are at the Merlot episode. This is going to be awesome. It’s time to set the record straight on this awesome grape. I promise you’re gonna love it. I had the same mindset about the movie Sideways. Most folks that are my age and enjoy wine are very familiar with the movie in which Merlot is maligned at the expense of Pinot Noir. But a survey of some folks 35 and under have shown me the fallacy in my thinking. I’ve mentioned it to several folks in that age group and have gotten a blank stare in return. OK… For a Merlot-dominant blend (such as entry-level Bordeaux) that has earthy notes, as well as ripeness, think: roast turkey, beef short rib, or a rustic ratatouille. For braised meat pairings, try complementing Merlot’s boisterous fruit notes with chimichurri sauce.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 In this instance, I’m talking about Merlot that hails from Napa’s high elevation regions of Howell Mountain, Atlas Peak, Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain, and Diamond Mountain. In contrast to the regions of Napa Valley’s floor (think Oakville, Rutherford) the vineyards in these regions lie of the sides of the valley, above the fog layer. Instead of being cooled by a layer of fog, these vineyards are cooled by their altitude. In contrast to richer, fleshy styles of Merlot from the valley floor, Mountain Merlot wines tend to be more structured with higher tannin levels. Vines grown on mountains dig their roots deep in search of water and nutrients. This struggle by the vines results in smaller, compact berries, that provide intense, concentrated flavors, pronounced acidity, and powerful tannins. In other words, these are Cabernet drinker’s Merlot wines. I should caveat that this was purely from a U.S. centric point of view. Most of the rest of the world didn’t lose their minds like folks in the U.S. Can you imagine folks in Bordeaux shunning Merlot?! It’s the most planted variety not just in Bordeaux, but all of France. I mean, what would have become of wines such as Petrus (my planned retirement day wine) and Cheval Blanc if folks in France had stopped producing Merlot? But a little craziness aside, its been great to see lots more Merlot love out there. International Merlot Month, evidenced by the hashtag #MerlotMe, occurs each year in October. And if that’s not enough, International Merlot Day occurs on November 7. I love the timing of the celebrations because there is just something about fall that makes me want to cozy up with Merlot. Why I Love Merlot