Craig Camp

C'mon over to the Tigros grocery store by my house. I can show you 6 or 7 nasty Barbera d'Asti wines that don't stand up well to commercial merlot like that produced by Kendall Jackson or Rosemount. Admittedly they sell for only around 3 Euro in Italy.

...uuuhhh - the 'simple local rustic wines' locals drink in Italy are mostly junk. For pure technological quality they just don't compete with the USA and Australia. However they do taste great on a balcony overlooking the Adriatic.

Kudos to Willie for the points you mention. As an unabashed lover of Barbera d'Asti I will tell you that most of the Barbera d'Asti produced is cheap. crappy overcropped swill just like most merlot is and is not worthy of some kind of special respect. Most producers of Barbara d'Asti make commercial crap. Just like most producers of riesling in Germany. Only a small percentage of growers in every region with every varietal work to make something special. While Willy makes some good points that can be of use to someone who know absolutely nothing about wine. His approach is too simplistic for anyone who does any homework on their own.

Exactly. Just because most of the merlot on the planet is managed by people who would be just as happy working at McDonald's does not mean some great wine is not made from the varietal. Like all food and wine products - only a small percentage of what is produced is great. Why should merlot be any different.

Craig, are you sure about that? Cheval Blanc is predominantly Cab Franc I think, and Figeac usually has lots of Cabernet Sauvignon as well as Cab Franc. Ausone I think is about 50/50. But I think the majority of St. Emilions (especially when you get below the Premier Grand Cru Classe) tend to have at least as much Merlot as Cab Franc. I'll try to look up %s tonight. If you don't believe me: Berry Bros.: Cabernet Franc is widely planted in Bordeaux and is the most important black grape grown in the Loire. In the Médoc it may constitute up to 15% of a typical vineyard - it is always blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and is used to add bouquet and complexity to the wines. It is more widely used in St.Emilion where it adapts well to the cooler and moister clay soils - Cheval Blanc is the most famous Cabernet Franc wine in the world, with the final blend consisting of up to 65% of the grape. Cabernet Franc thrives in the Loire where the cooler growing conditions serve to accentuate the grape's herbaceous, grassy, lead pencil aromas. The best wines come from the tuffeaux limestone slopes of Chinon where growers such as Charles Joguet produce intense well-structured wines that possess excellent cellaring potential. and HERE While merlot it the most widley planted grape in St. Emilion as it is in all of Bordeaux except in Graves and the Medoc, it is St. Emilion along with the Loire where cabernet franc makes its most important impact and dominates in many important blends - if not always in exact percentage but in character.

Jean, How hard are the Miani wines to find where you are? I agree with you - although I normally don't go for ultra modern "International" styles - Miani really does it right. Great wines. Have you visited Enzo Pontoni? If not I highly recommend it. He only cares about his vineyards. A very special and dedicated man. Did you consider the Vietti mature and ready to drink?

Jim - do you think the oak will every resolve on the 97 Barolo? I am not optomistic about the oaky 97's I have tasted.

You are a great dad. Would you adopt me? Try John Hart Fine Wines

I agree it is important to put the information out even if it is old news. The question is how much impact will such an article have with a publication with such a narrow readership base. From the Wine Spectator's position - they are a commercial product after all. So what if they take money as long as their selections are legit. Paying entry fees for judging is hardly a new or uncommon activity. The Spectator did not create the idea they just adopted it. There are restaurant and wine guides all over the world who practice the same concept. Not that makes it right.

The vast majority of merlot wines on the market see little or no oak and certainly no barriques. The commercial success of merlot is based on the fact it is easy to grow, soft and easy to like and the fact that consumers seem to love the name. The ocean of merlot selling for under $15, which accounts for most of the world production are not oaky wines. You have to pay big bucks for the privilege of drinking over-oaked merlot.

Mr. Gluckstern's book takes an extremely oversimplified approach more reflective of his own palate (which is very good) than the realities of the wine world. For instance see Jean Fisch's review of the extraordinary Merlot from Miani HERE "Merlot" is not one type of wine but many. Ranging from the powerful Petrus to thin weedy wines from northeastern Italy.

St. Emilion wines tend to be predominately blends of cabernet franc and merlot. More often than not cabernet franc is the predominate varietal. Merlot stars only in Pomerol where the cool clay soils and the early ripening merlot match perfectly. Cheap Bordeaux from lesser appellations tend to have a very high percentage of merlot.

Isn't this old news. At least the NYT printed something about it. The Wine Spectator has never been a bastion of journalistic integrity. Is is a product to sell adds and make money and that's it. Nice pictures though.

To make it easier to search wine tasting notes we are changing the prefix from TN to WTN. We hope this helps improve your enjoyment of eGullet. Please refer to the pinned directions for a full explanation.

Nevan - I always look forward to your posts on northwest wines. You expertise and passion in this area clearly oudistances my own I welcome the education you can give us. Perhaps you could comment on why Domaine Serene (on of my favorites) can attain such high quality standards?

I don't disagree with you on Hanzell - they age well. So does Kalin. They are special cases when in comes to California chardonnay. However I would not put them high on my list to grab if I was just starting a cellar. There are so many other choices.

If it was very expensive it was probably Recioto della Valpolicella. It should be sweet but it really should not be sparking.

Laugh at you?! Lambrusco is right up my alley.... Good fresh Lambrusco is a great summertime treat.

I think there were a lot of great players then as now. However to dismiss the interesting wines of the past in a headlong defense of the squeaky clean commercial wines of today is to ignore the foundation on which today's industry was built. I had some wonderful wines in the late 70's from Wente, Martini and other such names that are dismissed today in favor of technically perfect wines. If we wax nostalgic about old ball players it is partially out of respect for what they accomplished without the knowledge and technology of today. This most certainly does not mean we do not have respect for the current generation of winemakers - or was that ballplayers.

I with FG on this - a novelty. Although they are not bad with some oriental and other hard to match foods.

Not forgotten just overlooked. Jean please give us some of your favorites.

OK - let me know when to change the instructions.

Do the sell Don Alfonso t-shirts?

When it is warm I like reds that take a slight chill. We tend to eat outside everyday so I will pop a bottle in the frig about an hour before eating. For instance last night we grilled some freshly made chicken sausages, treviso radicchio and tomino del boscaiolo cheese (yes you grill the cheese too) and served a lightly chilled 2002 Kettmeir Lago di Caldaro, which matched perfectly with the meal and the evening. My summer favorites: The fresh, light reds of Alto Adige and Trentino - Schiava/Vernatsch and Marzemino. Beaujolais - of course Grignolino from Piemonte Barbera Vivace from Piemonte Cotes du Rhone

question 2 - summer reds and whites Don't forget lissome's thread on summer whites Click here see the new thread on summer reds