Pick of the Merlots
No wine has ever captured America’s heart as fast as Merlot. Scarcely a blip on the radar screen two decades ago, it is now the most popular red wine grown in Napa and Sonoma Counties after Cabernet Sauvignon.
Early accounts suggest that it was brought to California for blending with the more tannic Cabernet Sauvignon, which is how it is used in Bordeaux. Our wineries found out, however, that it makes rich, supple, fruity wines on its own. The rest, as they say, is history.
The Louis Martini Winery was the first to offer Merlot in the early ‘70s, and it was soon followed by such important producers as Chappellet, Robert Keenan, Burgess and Sterling. Today Merlot is everywhere.
The following tasting notes represent a cross section of the more than 110 Merlots I have evaluated recently. The recommendations run from the finest at any price to wines that are notably good values though they didn’t finish at the top of the ratings.
* * * 1996 Pahlmeyer, Napa Valley $60. This rich, optimally ripened Merlot may be hard to find. It is already selling at twice its listed price in New York auction houses, for good reason: It is supple, mouth-filling and compelling, long on black cherry fruit and nicely integrated creamy oak. And with its spine of youthfully coarse tannins, it is quite well balanced for such a big wine. This is one that will hold up well in your cellar for a decade or more. Merlot does not get much better than this.
* * 1995 Beringer “Bancroft Ranch,” Howell Mountain, $50. Beringer did well with its Merlot-based wines in the 1995 vintage. They are equal in quality but substantially different. This one--like every vintage from Bancroft Ranch--is sturdy, bold, ripe, complex and brawny in a way that clearly reflects its Howell Mountain appellation. With fruit and tannin to spare, it belongs in the cellar for five to eight years. That is, if you can resist using it sooner with something as rich and chewy as a standing rib roast.
* * 1995 Beringer “Alluvium,” Knights Valley, $30. More attractively priced, and much more approachable, is the deep, tasty, somewhat open Alluvium. This one emphasizes Merlot’s cherry-like fruit and suppleness on the palate. Serve it with lighter dishes than those with the Bancroft Ranch. Although it was created for earlier drinking, its depth and polished balance will stand it in good stead for years.
* 1997 DeLoach, Russian River Valley, $18. A nice wine at the price, tasting of bright, cherryish fruit, toasted herbs and sweet oak. It is youthfully alive, albeit not as massive as the preceding wines, and it will make a fine accompaniment to dishes like broiled lamb chops.
* 1996 Markham, Napa Valley, $20. This attractive, immediately likable wine focuses on black cherry fruit with oak-derived richness and hints of cinnamon and cocoa. Supple and inviting, yet capable of aging for a few years, it shows why Merlot has become so popular. My wife often describes a wine she likes as “slurpy,” by which she means it is easy to drink. This wine is slurpy.
* 1996 Wente, Livermore Valley, $16. Wente, often thought of as only a white wine producer, has come up with a worthy Merlot in this vintage: straightforward, fruity, bright and lively. It is a little less rich than the Markham but compensates with a lighter price and lots of perky fruit.
1996 Fetzer “Barrel Select,” North Coast, $14. Not to be confused with Fetzer’s cheaper and less likable Eagle Peak Merlot or its more expensive (and also less likable) Reserve Merlot, the Barrel Select bottling is just the ticket when you want a moderately priced, pleasant, cherryish Merlot to drink tonight. It is widely available and is often seen at discount.
$ 1996 Kautz Ironstone Vineyards, Sierra Foothills, $9. If less easy to find than many here, this pleasant, softly structured, drink-now Merlot will find takers for its plummy and cherryish flavors.
DEFINITION OF SYMBOLS
* * * A world-class wine, superb by any measure, the top 1% to 2% of all wines tasted.
* * An exceptional wine, well worth the effort to find, 10% to 12% of wines tasted.
* An admirable wine, tasty, focused, attractive, about 25% of wines tasted.
No Rating: The best are quite pleasant and can be good buys when moderately priced.
$ Good values for the money.
X Below average quality, to be avoided.
8
Tasting Notes is based on tastings conducted by Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine, a monthly newsletter devoted to the critical review of California and West Coast wines. Readers of the Los Angeles Times may obtain a sample copy by sending their name and address to: CGCW, P.O. BOX V, Alameda, CA 94501, by calling or faxing (510) 865-3150 or by e-mailing CGCW@aol.com.