“Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy,
so here’s my number, Merlot me maybe.”
Okay, so you might be now
singing that pop song in your head. Sorry about that. Anyway…October is the
self proclaimed Merlot Month. Really? Does a wine need 30 days in which to
prove itself? Ah…with Merlot, yes it does. Merlot has been maligned ever since
the film Sideways unapologetically
voiced the main character’s opinion, “I’m not drinking any fucking Merlot!”
Ouch. It’s not that Merlot was a crappy grape, but that in California, back
then in the early 2000s, it was overplanted creating not only glut, but lousy
grapes. I love Merlot. Truly, there are some terrific examples, including Lava
Cap (Sierra Foothills), and Robert Hall (Paso Robles) and a host of others. So,
may I present a Merlot sampler - a range of wines worth considering this month
of October that might reinvigorate your red wine consumption. At the very
least, try a new Merlot, even one not on this list.
From Sonoma is the
inexpensive 2014 Cannonball SonomaCounty Merlot ($14.99), a nifty little number that is a great entry Merlot
for those who like more ripe frit and fewer tannins and change in your pocket.
It offers rich jammy boysenberry, black berry, a little black cherry and
huckleberry, a sweet oak and a pleasant personality - easy to drink, easy to
love, easy on the 401k.
Moving up the scale is Peju’s 2013 Napa Valley Merlot ($38), from
a certified organic vineyard in the Rutherford area of Napa, which offers more
acidity, tighter tannins and more subtle fruit with notes of blackberry,
boysenberry, dark plumb and raspberry, hints of sweet cedar and black cherry.
Then we come to the Duckhorn 2013 Napa Valley Merlot ($54)
which is the gold standard of Merlot in California. Routinely Duckhorn Merlots
provide a tactile, sensory experience with dark fruits of blackberry,
boysenberry, huckleberry, pomegranate, charred resin, seamless oak integration
and a constant stream of acidity working through the wine making this ideal with
food.
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