Ross: Merlot makes a comback
Merlot means many things to many people.
If you're a farmer, Merlot is an early ripening crop, vulnerable to spring hail and likely to be harvested before autumn rain.
The grape thrives in moisture-holding clay soil, an advantage when water is scarce. In France's Bordeaux region, for instance, Cabernet Sauvignon vines - which prefer fast-draining, gravel soil - were in peril during the 2005 drought while Merlot enjoyed "damp feet" throughout a long growing season, yielding super-ripe grapes with rich acidity. (For standouts in quality and value, look for wines from Bordeaux sub-regions Pomerol, St-Émilion, Cotes de Castillon, Montagne-St-Émilion and Listrac.)
If you're a winemaker, Merlot is a useful blending tool. With the basic flavors of its noble cousin Cabernet, but more fruitiness and softer tannins, Merlot mellows Cabernet's unforgiving astringency - Cabernet without pain, so to speak. Most Bordeaux, as well as New World Cabernet Sauvignon, is likely to contain a dose of Merlot.
If you're a wine drinker, Merlot means smooth. While Cabernet Sauvignon's acid and tannin endow wines with complexity throughout maturation, Merlot can be immediately enjoyable, with plummy flavor accented with spice and pleasing tannin.
If you're a student of wine - like me - Merlot is proof of how thoroughly our American lifestyle has become entwined with wine.
I remember my first trip to California, as a young sommelier. It was the mid-'80s and wine was booming. As a guest of Sterling Vineyards, I toured its Napa vineyards with viticulturalist Tucker Catlin. His truck rolled up to an open expanse along the Silverado Trail. "We've pulled up all this Chardonnay," he said. "We're replanting Merlot." I think I gasped. "Whaddya nuts?" I thought. "Who drinks Merlot?"
A year later and converted, I selected Firestone Merlot as my house wine. "Whaddya nuts?" screamed competing vendors. "Who drinks Merlot?"
We soon learned who drank Merlot: just about everyone.
The American public, after struggling through aristocratic Cabernet, warmed to Merlot's easy drinkability. It was easy to say too; one canny advertiser even used the mnemonic: "Hmmm, Merlot."
In 1985, California claimed 2,000 Merlot acres. By 1992, plantings grew to 8,000 acres. In 1990, America drank roughly 800,000 cases of Merlot. By 2000, that consumption grew to 15 million cases, eclipsing Cabernet, and it's still rising.
"Merlot" became synonymous with "red wine." Growers across the globe jumped on the gravy train, planting Merlot in mediocre sites and thus producing oceans of mediocre (and worse) wine.
Then, in October 2004, the bottom fell out. "Sideways" movie wine geek Miles shouted the words "I will NOT drink Merlot!" Retailers and restaurateurs felt the tremor immediately; statisticians caught up with reports months later: Merlot sales plummeted, the first time in 14 years.
O tempora! O mores! Oh Merlot!
Today, Merlot has struggled back to the relative stature it held for centuries.
In the finest sites, Merlot achieves greatness. (Pomerol's 2005 Chateau l'Evangile, about $260.)
Yet it's possible to find superlative Merlot at less lofty prices. Here are some examples:
2005 Vina Magana Merlot (Navarra, Spain): Concentrated and plush with flavors evolving from bright berries and spicy plums to Asian spices and tar. Despite enormity of flavor and firm tannin, the finish mouthwatering and refreshing. (Available at Whole Foods, about $60 and Charlie Trotter's.)
Chateau du Pavillon (Bordeaux, France): Direct and firm flavors of cassis, cigar box and Bordeaux's classic "lead pencil." Don't confuse this good value with Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux. ($16 at wine shops.)
Cycles Gladiator Merlot (California): Velvety, dark fruit flavors and plump tannin. ($12 at wine and liquor shops.)
For widely available and well-made Merlot, look to Washington State's Chateau Ste. Michelle from various vineyards: Columbia Valley, about $12; Indian Wells, about $18; Canoe Ridge, about $20.
If you pick and choose, Merlot is a delicious quaff, to serve with the richest appetizers (such as blue cheese-stuffed mushrooms), rich international cuisine (teriyaki beef, lamb kebabs) and other meaty dishes.
• Advanced sommelier and certified wine educator Mary Ross writes Good Wine twice a month. Write her at food@dailyherald.com.
<p class="factboxheadblack">Ross choice</p> <p class="News">Sangiovese</p> <p class="News">2005</p> <p class="News">Monte Volpe</p> <p class="News">Mendocino, Calif.</p> <p class="News">• Suggested retail and availability: About $22 at wine and liquor shops (distributed by H2Vino, Chicago)</p> <p class="News">The foothills of Mendocino translate the flavors of Chianti, and its signature grape, Sangiovese, with medium-bodied and dry flavors of ripe raspberry and spicy wood, firm but pleasing tannin and long, vivacious finish. Serve with your own translation of rich international fare, such as arista alla fiorentina (pork seasoned with garlic and rosemary), bistecca di manzo (steak with mushrooms) and Chicago-style pizza.</p>