Merlot- Why Such a Bad Rap?

Merlot- Why Such a Bad Rap? – Episode #171

January 22, 2007

Wines tasted in this episode:

Sideways has had an impact on the Merlot wine market, today Gary tastes the 4 top selling Merlot in the shop for the month of January.

151 Responses

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January 23, 2007

thomas korent
My favourite Merlot was a Canadian one (ok, I haven’t had that many pure Merlots, but still, a wine that I would absolutely recommend): Mission Hill’s Single Lot Collection Merlot 2002. It’s a BC wine and sells for 30 Canadian Dollars in British Columbia Liquor stores and on their webpage. Gismondi (the BC wine rater) says 92 points on this one and I totally agree. Plus: isn’t it fancy to throw a BC wine into a blind tasting? I just love the faces people make when you tell them that their favourite came from Canada!
Merlot based wines: Luce 1997 (I think 50 50 Sangiovese Grosso and Merlot) – absolute GrandSlam!
January 23, 2007

MetalDave
QOTD:

My favourite Merlot-based wine this year is the Chateau Peyrou from the Cotes de Castillon in Bordeaux. It sells in Ireland for 18 Euros.

I recently had a Clifornian Merlot I liked that was given to me as a gift. I think it was called Pine Ridge (?). I really enjoyed that – though I have no idea what it would cost.

I think it’s absolutely rediculous that people would be so influenced by a movie. Sheep! Didn’t you say the 1999 Haut Brion had a lot of Merlot? Certainly pop culture influencing someone to dog on such a wine is absurd…
January 23, 2007

ThomasS
Hey Gary. Good reasoning on that: “Hey connoiseurs, don’t forget the children of the lesser gods”. Like that .
QOTD: 1) An inexpensive Merlot: ViÃ±a la Rosa La Palma Merlot 2005; solid bottle, spicy, black fruits, some earthy overtones, just good for this price (â‚¬ 5) 2) Expensive Merlot: Clos Fourtet 1999; leather, earth, very lush, yet elegant, nice dark fruits (bramble), good lift on the finish (â‚¬ 44) 3) My absolute favourite: Independent Minds Merlot 1998; vibrantly fresh, no signs of bottle age, superb focus and delineation, elegant black berry salsa, blond tobacco, mint, very long and savoury finish, well integrated tannins, almost perfect (â‚¬ 17).
So, Merlot doesn’t stink for me. Not really my winey balls, but, well yes, can be very nice.
January 23, 2007

Lars
Thanks for the episode, Wine Guy. For goodness sake, I hope you are not reading this. Enjoy your Vay-cay!

Got a bottle of Rancho Sisquoc Merlot at the winery during a visit. As I recall it tasted great. They had a hard time selling it (ala Side Ways), so they were dumping it at 1/2 price. Need to pop it soon.

Lars
January 23, 2007

Glenn Fry
Also loved the 2001 Keenan Merlot ($30 per bottle)!
January 23, 2007

Glenn Fry
For around 13 bucks, I love the ‘04 Concha y Toro Marques de Casa Concha Merlot!
Besides Merlot, I am enchanted by Francis Coppola’s Claret… what a finish! (And nobody’s rated this?!) Wow!
January 23, 2007

ChrisR
QOD – Has to be Washington State Merlot….you can almost never go wrong with Columbia Crest.
January 23, 2007

Ricky D
Hey Gary, I’ve noticed that darker is almost always deemed “better” when it comes to color in red wines. A wine I drank recently left a residual red hue on the inside of the glass. Made me wonder if it wasn’t some sort of artificial color enhancement. Are we as consumers demanding that every red wine be a teeth-staining, inky concoction? If so….why?
January 23, 2007

KW
2003 and 2004 Blackstone Merlot are dissappointing.
2001 and 2002 Blackstone Merlot were ok for everyday drinking wines.
I recently drank a 1999 Geyser Peak which was quite good.
Prefer Cabs or cab/merlot blends…but I find that the vintage year and some storage (3-5 years) makes a major difference even on some of the less expensive wines.
January 22, 2007

cpd
I had a bottle of McManis Merlot recently that was fairly painless… As for GV not mentioning the Colts/Bears, I wonder if he didn’t do a little pre-recording prior to the vacation romp?
January 22, 2007

OhioPride
97 Sebastiani, oh it drank so well. Anything Washington State, an absolute steal for the money and it doesn’t stop with Merlot.
January 22, 2007

RobM
Long time lurker (watcher), new poster:

QOTD: Washington, IMO does Merlot better than anyone else in the US. My go-to’s: Hogue Genesis: this is serious Merlot just under $20; L’Ecole No. 41: always good quality…maybe not the best but you can always rely on it bringing something interesting to the table for the $$; No brainer: Columbia Crest, either Two Vine or Grand Estates…CC is an easy choice–their wine maker is an artist on a grand scale.

I would love to see a tasting of some other Merlots. This varietal got bitch-slapped from Sideways, and I’m not sure your choices for this episode were the best for the price range, even though they are your best sellers. I love Pinot Noir like no-other, but certainly not at the expense of another classic varietal. It’s not like Merlot is Norton or something. I’m not drinking NO F*&*(@ing Norton!
January 22, 2007

Susan
COLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLTS!
Thank YOU football gods!

Comment 48: By garyv on January 22nd, 2007 at 4:59 pm

Hey Gary-
Thanks so much for the Merlot episode!
This is one of the few varietals I have been drinking for 18 years!
Yeah, I know, I know. I started drinking Merlot as a baby!
Seriously, I do honestly like Merlot.
QOD: 2002 Biltmore Estate Reserve Merlot is one that I have enjoyed.
I know you are shocked!?!?
BTW:
GO COLTS!
January 22, 2007

Jahlove
Can’t say that I drink a lot of Merlot these days (which has nothing to do with Sideways). It’s just that there is so much other stuff out there to try. I used to drink a lot of Clos du Bois and Franciscan Estates Merlot back when I was starting out. But since then I usually don’t reach for Merlot unless it’s something special. I’ve had some pretty memorable Merlots in the past year, including l’Ecole No. 41 (Washington State), Leonetti (also Washington State), but probably the most memorable was Falesco’s Montiano (Tuscany). I loved all three of those wines, but those aren’t exactly everyday wines are they?
January 22, 2007

Jimmy Smokepac
This is a question Gary, not a comment. What’s your favourite restaurant in NYC with a great wine program and why? Any recommendations? Some great ones here in Toronto. I’m a fan of wine lists and restaurants.
January 22, 2007

MBG
Gary,

I don’t drink much Merlot due to the fact that almost all of the inexpensive Merlot is garbage, and and the really good stuff is expensive(and I’d rather spend that type of $$ on other grapes). Some fantastic Calif Merlot include Pride and Lewis Cellars. I believe that WA state does Merlot better than Calif. Some good WA Merlots that will not break the bank include Gordon Brothers and J.Bookwalter.

MBG
January 22, 2007

bugbirdfishboy
QOTD: 2004 Casillero del Diablo Merlot from Chili isn’t bad for $9.
January 22, 2007

acousticdoc
Based on the episode and the comments, it doesn’t look like we are helping the Merlot cause much. Heve a great trip Gary!!!
January 22, 2007

Riezin
Such a suprise – bonus show. First merlot that favorably comes to mind is a Rancho Sisquoc from several years back. They’re from out in Santa Barbara.
January 22, 2007

gwigton
Hello Gary,
I have to agree with a previous post- Pride Mountain Merlot is fantastic! I wish I had more in my cellar.
Actually, just about any wine from Pride Mountain is terrific but hard to find in my area.
Enjoy your vacation.

Greg W
January 22, 2007

C. W., Brazil
COLTS or BEARS?
PINOT or MERLOT?
Great vocations Gary!!
DonÂ´t forget my under US$ 30,00 calif…
January 22, 2007

joe
Orion9 (post 64). The Beringer Bancroft Ranches of the nineties were legandary stuff. The’94 & ‘95 were Black Licorice bombs with amazing length. More concentrated than almost any cabernet outside of Harlan. Very Oaky. You have to love oak. I have not had one since the ‘97 vintage though (another great wine), and can’t vouch for current vintages.
January 22, 2007

good old ludwig van
I love how Gary is recommending foie gras with the $12 merlot. I’m sure John Q. Public buying his $12 merlot will get right on that!
January 22, 2007

BV
I’m not a big Merlot fan – seems kinda bitter to me. But I’m a huge Marilyn fan, so I’ve been given about 6 bottles of Marilyn Monroe Merlot — all still unopened.

QOD: I notice there’s always a bottle of Foxhorn Merlot around the house, so that must be my wife’s favorite. In fact, she has a Q 4 U: “Ask Gary what he thinks of Foxhorn Merlot and Cab as regular everyday house wines.”

Over & out.

Bill V.
January 22, 2007

E
But why drink merlot when you can drink cab franc?

Seriously, though … although I grabbed a few bottles of the Miradero out of curiosity, I don’t think I’ve had either of the go-to merlots I grew up on, so to speak, for a couple of years at least–Veramonte from Chile and Estancia from the Central Coast.