REDO!!!!! You gotta do this show again. Hopefully the Woodward Canyon won’tbe corked this time. Also, you must get the 2006 Barrister Dwelley Vineyard (Walla Walla Valley) merlot and a 2005 or a 2006 Dumas Station Merlot (another Walla Walla Valley wine).

Best merlot? The 2003 or 2004 Fielding Hills merlot was amazing, the ’06 Barrister Dwelley Vineyard, and certainly the 1998 Reininger Walla Walla Valley merlot was a crazy good bottle of wine.

Worst? Probably one of the early 2000’s Hogue merlots. Those sucked. I am glad to say that they are back on track, and the newest vintage is halfway decent.

Haven’t had a California merlot or any California wine for a number of years. I have had the Duckhorn in the past at a little better QPR and enjoyed it.
Perhaps another merlot episode that isn’t blind?

QOTD: I don’t really fully understand why Paul Giamatti’s outcry of Merlot in a movie makes such a hard impact on your domestic sales (to be fair it sort of goes with the movie character’s temper in some small part) but I guess it’s like Gary Vee said, only in the USA; Merlot is alive and well in the rest of the world. That said, there is a very bad bottle of wine I’ve had and it’s a Sutter Home winery Merlot, sorry but it was dreadful, thinned out, maybe it was past its prime, who knows. One of the best for me has been a Chilean Merlot, Marqués de Casa Concha, something about the soil down there makes good wines.

Gary, you might not have a fun time… but i kinda did. very fun episode, look forward to seeing some more american merlot on the show, FINALLY. (i’ve had a few under $20 washington merlots that were surprisingly excellent.
Actually just give us more American shows in general, I feel like it’s slightly overdue. (Heidi Barrett was great)

Love the show Gary, I probably comment like once a month, does that make me a lurker?

Thanks for all your great work. I never miss a show.

Thanks for all your great work. I never miss a show.

Luv ya, Gary. Keep up the shows and the good work.

Love the blind tastings.

QOTD: 2001 St. Francis Merlot was the best. Generally prefer Merlot to be blended with other Bordeaux varietals.

GV…you win some you lose some…..if you really want to bring merlot back to it’s heyday then just get some good merlot you’ve tasted on the show…..

QOTD:
Best: Diamond Ridge Merlot California. Had it years ago and have not been able to find it since.
Worst: Probably Yellowtail…

Sorry #3 didn’t come through for you this time. I also play it on roulette, it has been very good to me 🙂

QOTD: Not sure I can even answer this. Best would be a 2004 Sterling Vintner’s Collection Merlot, but I wouldn’t call it great by any means. A serviceable table wine. Worst? I’ve probably had a Blackstone at a party somewhere that was pure crap. I’m sure I have.

I’m not one to write off a whole varietal (or region, etc.) but I haven’t been loving much merlot lately either, and that’s not because I love that movie, and the book first, so so much.

QOTD: I’m enjoying the 2005 Chappellet Napa Valley Merlot (www.chappellet.com)

Gary, your comment neediness finally pulled me from lurkerdom. Plus I was drinking while I watched, so my judgment is impaired.

QOTD: Best merlot I’ve had is Chateau L’Evangile 1990. The complexity, evolution and length on the finish blew me and my wife away. You’ve gotta visit the right bank in your tastings before you give merlot a permanent black eye. The most consistently good American merlot I’ve had is the wine you chose – Duckhorn, and the Three Palms Vineyard – but at that price point, my wine dollars go elsewhere.

Worst merlot is probably a toss up between Black Boar and Charles Shaw. My grandparents are convinced that 2 Buck Chuck is rebottling high quality juice from distressed vineyards, so they constantly serve it with dinner. In moments of weakness, I partake.

And since I’m here: love the show! Thanks for your efforts!

Another great show Gary.

Anyway, let’s leave Merlot for the French to blend for us, they know Assemblage.

Funny story. My very first experience with wine was in my early 20’s, on one of those hokey corporate “team building” retreats. The first evening, a bunch of us went to an Italian restaurant and got plastered on merlot. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a gas station and bought a bunch of cheap merlot-in-a-jug, which we finished off in someone’s room while trying to play cards or something. The next morning, I was puking harder than I ever had before, and the entire day was a nightmare. Needless to say, I didn’t touch merlot for many years and I still don’t drink it all that often.

QOTD: I try not to remember bad wine. I can’t really remember ever having a great merlot either. I might be biased, though. 🙂

It’s funny that pinot dethroned merlot because, to me, they are both “heartbreak” grapes. When they’re good they’re spectacular and when they’re bad they’re borderline undrinkable.
QOTD: Best? an 89 pomerol that I’m blanking on the name now. Worst? Gato Negro. Out of 1.5L jug of course. So green it was like drinking green bell peppers pureed with water. Yuck! Glad you liked the Duckhorn. I tasted it recently too and though it was a really well made, classy wine.

Merlot is the first wine I remember drinking with my family, and for the longest time, I thought red wine = merlot. Even after my enlightenment, Merlot remains one of my faves, along with the rest of my family.

For example, My Mom bought a bottle of 2005 Twomey for me to commemorate graduating from college. Not a big to deal to most, but that was a bottle I held like it was gold. Waited a year to open it, and did so with family present once again. That was an exquisite wine as I recall.

Great show Gary! Even though the wines failed (won’t change how I feel about Merlot) you were lively and entertaining. This is one of my favorite things about how you interact with us: nothing is premeditated. The show when you brought up the big green electric things from your neighborhood (melted candy and all) was instant classic. I knew exactly what you were talking about because I played on them too when I was a kid, but it was such a random thing to relate to wine. This episode, you miraculously included JLo’s behind, and 6 small town girls who probably aren’t that cute.

Listen bro, there’s some good criticism coming off here regarding your etiquette sometimes (interrupting peeps is your kryptonite), but I hope you take the rest with a grain of salt. I love it when you get pumped up, and it irks me when you check yourself. Some people say it’s obnoxious and you’re very respectful of their opinions, which is another of your great virtues, but if you can’t be you, then what’s the point?

Great show, great fun, totally reminding me of why I’m a Vayniac.

Merlot is the first wine I remember drinking with my family, and for the longest time, I thought red wine = merlot. Even after my enlightenment, Merlot remains one of my faves, along with the rest of my family.

For example, My Mom bought a bottle of 2005 Twomey for me to commemorate graduating from college. Not a big to deal to most, but that was a bottle I held like it was gold. Waited a year to open it, and did so with family present once again. That was an exquisite wine as I recall.

Great show Gary! Even though the wines failed (won’t change how I feel about Merlot) you were lively and entertaining. This is one of my favorite things about how you interact with us: nothing is premeditated. The show when you brought up the big green electric things from your neighborhood (melted candy and all) was instant classic. I knew exactly what you were talking about because I played on them too when I was a kid, but it was such a random thing to relate to wine. This episode, you miraculously included JLo’s behind, and 6 small town girls who probably aren’t that cute.

Listen bro, there’s some good criticism coming off here regarding your etiquette sometimes (interrupting peeps is your kryptonite), but I hope you take the rest with a grain of salt. I love it when you get pumped up, and it irks me when you check yourself. Some people say it’s obnoxious and you’re very respectful of their opinions, which is another of your great virtues, but if you can’t be you, then what’s the point?

Great show, great fun, totally reminding me of why I’m a Vayniac.

Too bad Merlot didn’t make a good showing, I actually really enjoy Merlot quite a bit…

QOTD:
Best Merlot (outside of Bordeaux) = 2005 Montes Alpha
Worst Merlot = Greg Norman (ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE!!! STAY AWAY!!!)

BTW, my first name is Craig, so go easy, bro! Hopefully I represented with that last comment. It was all heart.

BTW, my first name is Craig, so go easy, bro! Hopefully I represented with that last comment. It was all heart.

I think I’ve only had Merlot blends lately. Cakebread actually has a really nice Merlot blend.

hmmm…seems like your quit threats are becoming more ominous. Hopefully it’s not the case, but you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do.

very amusing show for all the wrong reasons. First i thought my speakers weren’t working when the show started, then the corked wine and the horrible showings…haven’t seen you speechless like that before.

still, love the blind tastings

Hey Gary! Great show as always. Even though it was a tough one for thos of us still defending Merlot. But regardless of how it came out I think the comments say it all. Still a bunch of usout here drinking it, despite Hollywood.
QOTD: Best:2005 STama Napa Valley
Worst: Yellowtail, period.

That was fun to watch. You are rarely caught speechless! You’ve been on such a roll lately it was time for everything to go wrong for you. Still a great show as always. I would like to see you try another bottle of that corked wine in the near future if possible.

QOTD: Best merlot: 2005 Pride vineyard napa, sonoma (this is actually one of the best wines I’ve had from any varietal period)
Worst merlot: 2003 Dynamite vineyards (this is one of the worst wines I’ve ever had. I was so angry with the winery I wrote them a letter telling them how jacked it was that they charged so much for such a crappy wine)