What's wrong with Merlot?

[Msk]

I love these debates. I agree with alot of whats been said regarding the "blank slate" nature of Merlot. Its neutral qualities make it a good base to reflect a style of vinification or the terroir or some combination therein.

Those that choose to do this can make quality merlots, those that do not are left with a neutral inoffensive wine. The neutrality of the characteristics of grape are, IMHO, a contributor to its mass appeal. The less "edge" the smaller the chance to offend.

However, I must admit I find most CA Merlot boring and one dimensional as well.

MSK

[slkinsey]

My point, Matt, was simply that there are shitloads of inexpensive great wines out there. And you don't need to be a "wine expert" to find them... you only need to find a decent wine store near you and avail yourself of their advice. Similarly, the best way to get a great wine in a restaurant is to make friends with the wine guy and ask his/her advice.

I also very much recommend the book by Willie Gluckstern I mentioned earlier in this thread. "Experts" may not agree with everything he says in there, but reading his (quite short and easy to read) book will immediately bump you up a level in your wine appreciation and expertise.

Two things he turned me on to are: 1. riesling is a practically-can't-miss white wine for food; and 2. barbera d'asti is a practically-can't-miss red wine for food.

[Craig Camp]

I also very much recommend the book by Willie Gluckstern I mentioned earlier in this thread.  "Experts" may not agree with everything he says in there, but reading his (quite short and easy to read) book will immediately bump you up a level in your wine appreciation and expertise.

Two things he turned me on to are: 1. riesling is a practically-can't-miss white wine for food; and 2. barbera d'asti is a practically-can't-miss red wine for food.

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.

[slkinsey]

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.

Hmmm... all I can say is that I've never had a barbera d'asti or riesling over here that I would put down in the same category with most similarly-priced merlot. It's all been pretty good. But maybe the stuff making its way into American stores is some of the better stuff...

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.

Oh, I completely agree. But, it must be pointed out, that most people want to know just enough about wine to make reasonably informed choices which will lead to getting a decent drink to go with their food without doing any homework. God knows, I've got enough homework to do without spending a lot of my spare time keeping up on wine. I like wine, but there are too many other things to which I am giving my attention. This is, I think most people would agree, the major stumbling block for most people in developing a better appreciation for wine.

Edited July 11, 2003 by slkinsey (log)

[Craig Camp]

interesting point hotle. let me take it one step further .... and maybe too far. are our expectations for american wines artificially high? here's where i'm going with this: go to italy and drink the local wines and you rarely hear anyone complain that they're not petrus or cheval blanc (same, in fact, in france). we love village level wines of other countries for their forwardness, their fruitiness, their "simple rustic charm" (veering off into peter mayles land here). we don't seem to cut american wines the same slack. of course, there is the whole character thing as well....

...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.

[Craig Camp]

...  all I can say is that I've never had a barbera d'asti or riesling over here that I would put down in the same category with most similarly-priced merlot.

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.

[Craig Camp]

My point, Matt, was simply that there are shitloads of inexpensive great wines out there.  And you don't need to be a "wine expert" to find them... you only need to find a decent wine store near you and avail yourself of their advice.  Similarly, the best way to get a great wine in a restaurant is to make friends with the wine guy and ask his/her advice.

Matt - this is the best wine advice you will ever get!

[malachi]

Your point is well taken, but there are plenty of wine lovers who contend that merlot is an inferior grape, not in the same league as pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon.

I've heard the same thing said of Nebbiolo, and of Sauvignon Blanc, and of Sangiovese, and of Grenache (among others). And yet (somehow) wines like Petrus, and Tignanello, and Guigal's Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and Banfi Brunello di Montalcino, and Pian delle Vigne, and Lafitte, and Cloudy Bay and Scavino Barolo Carobric turn out to be great wines -- even though they're made from "inferior" grapes. And don't even get me started on underappreciated grapes like Corvina or Tempranillo or Carignane.

It's mostly just fashion. Merlot is just the new Zinfandel (and I fear that Petit Syrah could become the new Merlot).

All over the world, the highest red varietal pedestal is reserved for Cabernet.

Does the world not include Spain anymore?

Or, for that matter, Australia?

How about Italy?

[tommy]

It's mostly just fashion. Merlot is just the new Zinfandel (and I fear that Petit Syrah could become the new Merlot).

hasn't "merlot" been more in fashion than zinfandel? i see zins a lot less on wine lists, especially by the glass, than i do merlots, in the NYC area.

[hollywood]

hasn't "merlot" been more in fashion than zinfandel?  i see zins a lot less on wine lists, especially by the glass, than i do merlots, in the NYC area.

Yeah, I think Zin would love to be the new Merlot. As it is, Rosemont Syrah is showing up everywhere.

[Echezeaux]

OK, I'll admit it: I didn't know that St. Emilion was merlot.

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.

I've always thought St. Emilion wines were, with a few exceptions, predominantly Merlot. So, I looked 'em up.

The Ausone estate is planted with 50% Merlot and 50% Cab Franc. Cheval Blanc is 60% Cab Franc and 40% Merlot.

Angelus is 50% Merlot, 47% Cab Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Figeac is 35% Cab Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot.

But most of the other noteworthy estates are predominantly Merlot.

Beausejour Becot - 70% Merlot

Belair - 60% Merlot

Canon La Gaffeliere - 55% Merlot

Clos Fourtet - 80% Merlot

La Gaffeliere - 65% Merlot

Monbousquet - 60% Merlot

La Mondotte - 80% Merlot

Pavie - 60% Merlot

Pavie-Macquin - 70% Merlot

Tertre-Roteboeuf - 85% Merlot

Troplong Mondot - 80% Merlot

Valandraud - 80% Merlot

Beausejour - 70% Merlot

Canon - 75% Merlot

L'Oratoire - 90% Merlot

Corbin Michotte - 65% Merlot

La Couspaude - 70% Merlot

Dassault - 65% Merlot

La Dominique - 80% Merlot

Faugeres - 80% Merlot

Franc Mayne - 90% Merlot

Grand Mayne - 75% Merlot

Moulin Saint-Georges - 70% Merlot

Pavie-Decesse - 90% Merlot

Quinault L'Enclos - 70% Merlot

Yon Figeac - 80% Merlot

Grand Pontet - 75% Merlot

Clos des Jacobins - 70% Merlot

La Mauriane - 85% Merlot

Of course, these are the percentages of each estate which are planted to Merlot. The percentage in the final wine varies from vintage to vintage.

And your mileage may vary, depending upon how you drive.

[KatieLoeb]

I've always thought St. Emilion wines were, with a few exceptions, predominantly Merlot.  So, I looked 'em up.

The Ausone estate is planted with 50% Merlot and 50% Cab Franc.  Cheval Blanc is 60% Cab Franc and 40% Merlot. 

Angelus is 50% Merlot, 47% Cab Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Figeac is 35% Cab Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. 

But most of the other noteworthy estates are predominantly Merlot. 

Beausejour Becot - 70% Merlot

Belair - 60% Merlot

Canon La Gaffeliere - 55% Merlot

Clos Fourtet - 80% Merlot

La Gaffeliere - 65% Merlot

Monbousquet - 60% Merlot

La Mondotte - 80% Merlot

Pavie - 60% Merlot

Pavie-Macquin - 70% Merlot

Tertre-Roteboeuf - 85% Merlot

Troplong Mondot - 80% Merlot

Valandraud - 80% Merlot

Beausejour - 70% Merlot

Canon - 75% Merlot

L'Oratoire - 90% Merlot

Corbin Michotte - 65% Merlot

La Couspaude - 70% Merlot

Dassault - 65% Merlot

La Dominique - 80% Merlot

Faugeres - 80% Merlot

Franc Mayne - 90% Merlot

Grand Mayne - 75% Merlot

Moulin Saint-Georges - 70% Merlot

Pavie-Decesse - 90% Merlot

Quinault L'Enclos - 70% Merlot

Yon Figeac - 80% Merlot

Grand Pontet - 75% Merlot

Clos des Jacobins - 70% Merlot

La Mauriane - 85% Merlot

Of course, these are the percentages of each estate which are planted to Merlot.  The percentage in the final wine varies from vintage to vintage. 

And your mileage may vary, depending upon how you drive.

This was a highly informative and interesting post. However, I hope there isn't a quiz later on, because I couldn't possibly handle it!

[Mark Sommelier]

Katie Loeb wrote:

This was a highly informative and interesting post.  However, I hope there isn't a quiz later on, because I couldn't possibly handle it!

Katie,

Life is a quiz, baby.

[Mark Sommelier]

Echezeaux,

Of the entire list of St. Emilions you gave, only the garagistes use 80% or more of Merlot. Interesting, huh? Valandraud, La Mondotte and Tertre Roteboeuf. Of those 3, Tertre Roteboeuf can be bought for under $200. The '98 is still in the market. It is a thrilling bottle of wine.

[Elissa]

may i recommend the 1999 Quinault L'Enclos La Fleur

last witnessed under $30

Edited July 12, 2003 by lissome (log)

[Craig Camp]

Echezeaux,

Of the entire list of St. Emilions you gave, only the garagistes use 80% or more of Merlot. Interesting, huh? Valandraud, La Mondotte and Tertre Roteboeuf. Of those 3, Tertre Roteboeuf can be bought for under $200. The '98 is still in the market. It is a thrilling bottle of wine.

Great point Mark and compliments on a statistical tour de force by Echezeaux - you must be a baseball fan.

However I would still argue that cabernet franc is still the key varietal in St. Emilion. You may want to argue percentages, but I would prefer to argue taste. I would argue that the various Bordeaux zones have an "indentifying" variety that set the flavor standard for the appellation. In the Medoc it is cabernet sauvignon, in Pomerol it is Merlot in St. Emilion for me it is cabernet franc.

In Tuscany 10% cabernet sauvignon can overwhelm the other 90% of sangiovese. The same is true of cabernet franc in St. Emilion. St. Emilion is the home of the finest cabernet franc in the world and its character shows in all of the wines. That is except the Parker style modern wines who choose merlot to make a showy early splash.

A lot of merlot goes into the second label wines and you should be more careful in naming actual blends based on the vineyards. They plant a lot of merlot as an insurance policy because in ripens early in their cools soils.

[Elissa]

bobby parker weighs in on cab franc in bordeaux:

In the Medoc, an average percentage of Cabernet Franc used in the blend is 0-30%; in Graves 5-35%; in St Emilion 25-66%; in Pomerol 5-50%

let us not forget Malbec which does well in Argentina and dear Petit Verdot

CC: have you got a dissertation handy on second label wines?

Edited July 12, 2003 by lissome (log)

[John Whiting]

...go to italy and drink the local wines and you rarely hear anyone complain that they're not petrus or cheval blanc (same, in fact, in france).

Modern middle class people are travellers, both in fact and in imagination. Within living memory, French and Italian villagers not only drank their own wine to the exclusion of all others, but also cheeses tended to stay within their region of production. If you wanted to sample the wines and regional foods of all of France, you virtually had to go to Paris.

What that meant was that local comparisons were always among their own producers, going only as far afield as previous vintages. No one ever said (at least out loud), "The wine this year is better from up the river; let's bring down a few cases." It was that very insularity that prevented the products of neighboring communities from tasting like each other. We're now both reaping the benefits and paying the price of uniformity. I don't expect to be thrilled by an unfamiliar bottle of moderately priced wine, but neither do I expect to spit it out in disgust.

[Carema]

Lest we forget too, in nomenclature there is less of a distinction between Cabernet S & Cabernet F. Within St Emilion & Pomerol they both go by Bouchet, Gros (for Franc) & Petit (for Sauvignon). And while I agree that Gros Bouchet reveals its woeful, autumnal soul most uniquely in St Emilion (let's make a rally call:"Power to the melancholy!!!") perhaps too our deconstruction is a little short-sighted. Perhaps these grapes, once blended together ultimately form the power, mystique and intrigue of Bordeaux, in a dialectical way (like the Chinese language) that would be impossible to reach if each stood alone in the bottle.

[Echezeaux]

Lest we forget too, in nomenclature there is less of a distinction between Cabernet S & Cabernet F. Within St Emilion & Pomerol they both go by Bouchet, Gros (for Franc) & Petit (for Sauvignon). And while I agree that Gros Bouchet reveals its woeful, autumnal soul most uniquely in St Emilion (let's make a rally call:"Power to the melancholy!!!") perhaps too our deconstruction is a little short-sighted. Perhaps these grapes, once blended together ultimately form the power, mystique and intrigue of Bordeaux, in a dialectical way (like the Chinese language) that would be impossible to reach if each stood alone in the bottle.

Well said (written).

[Bill Klapp]

Nothing. It is the queen...of blending grapes!

[KatieLoeb]

CC: have you got a dissertation handy on second label wines?

Now this would be useful info to post, if someone had it. I'd even study it and memorize it to ready myself for the quiz

[pam claughton]

I started this as a new thread, because it really isn't about Sideways, so much as it is about people's attitudes, and wine snobbery.

One of the scenes in this movie that got the biggest laughs was when Miles has a fit at the idea of someone at his table possibly daring to order....Merlot. "If they do, I will leave...."

So, I'm very curious. Is this just a character quirk? Or is there some real reason why anyone would look down their noses at Merlot?

Though I enjoy wine, almost all wine, even Merlot, I am still very much a beginner and this is something I wondered about as I watched the movie.

Pam

[jsolomon]

Having not seen the movie, I have to admit, I am of much the same opinion.

The simple fact of my opinion is that most of the merlots in my price point, especially ones that I would purchase at a restaurant, are low-end industro-plonk made a million bottles at a time. They have grapey-winey character analogous a McDonald's hamburger having a beefy-burgery character. It's there, but it has had the magic beaten out of it.

Sort of the wine equivalent of a Twinkie... I await for people to show me the Merlot way. It is a wine I love to hate (much like Jason Perlow loves to hate Beaujolais Nouveau)

[Craig Camp]

Obviously there are many fine Merlot wines produced: Petrus for example. However, when Merlot became the fashion a flood of mediocre wines, produced from vineyards not suited to Merlot, began to fill store shelves making it one of the worst quality/price ratio wines at all price levels. Avoiding bad value is not wine snobbery.