Say yes to Merlot.

I recently read a piece on Steve Heimoff’s blog about the current state of the Merlot grape on the domestic wine scene. It was a good read, in which Steve laid out 2010 Nielson statistics showing Merlot’s awareness among consumers at a consistently high level, even through the perceived decline in popularity over the last 8 years. The piece goes on to try to reconcile the stats with Merlot’s continued decline at the ultra-premium level.

To me the answer is simple. I think that the general wine consuming population, outside of the most educated consumer group, thinks of a wine like Merlot in terms of a brand rather than a grape. Merlot as a brand became identified more for what was sold on the low-end rather than the high-end, i.e. jammy and softly structured wine without much character. Unlike Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir, the brand-identification had nothing to do with Merlot’s status as a great grape, or with the great wines of the world made from Merlot. Developing wine drinkers started to see Merlot as passé, which clouded Merlot’s profile in the wine community. All of this came to head with Sideways, although I don't think the dialogue was written to decry Merlot as much as it was written to capture the growing sentiment of the time. It’s a similar story line to that of Australian Shiraz, the difference being the squeeze on Shiraz happened at the top-end as well as the bottom-end. At the same time consumers were seeing value brand critter-laden Shiraz as cheap and passé; there was a barrage of hugely rated Shiraz wines that just did not measure up. As a result, a similar malaise has happened with Shiraz. 

What makes it difficult for Merlot to now recover with the wine intelligentsia is that it has no champions or advocates. There’s no ZAP or Rhône Rangers for Merlot. There’s little review space in major publications for it. James Laube hardly even reviews Merlot in the pages of Wine Spectator- the Merlot reviews are normally passed on to others in the magazine. And while there are plenty of areas in California and Washington where Merlot shines, there’s not a Right Bank where it outperforms Cabernet Sauvignon. Cab is always there in forefront taking up the spotlight. 

So that’s my modest take on the continued issues that Merlot faces. I think great Merlot is divine. It can be a little more about red and blue fruit than Cabernet Sauvignon, while still having the darker fruit notes. It highlights subtly different savory notes than Cab. It can have great structure, but can be rounder and more welcoming. Two of my favorite Bordeaux varietal wines over the past few months have been Merlot-based wines. One was the 2008 Calluna “Aux Raynauds” Merlot, Chalk Hill which I wrote about in December. The most recent is the 2008 PepperBridge Merlot, Walla Walla.

The 08 Pepper Bridge Merlot is 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Malbec and comes from the Pepper Bridge and Seven Hills Vineyards. Elevage is 17 months in 47% new French oak. Ironically enough, I opened this for a dinner of barbeque-grilled steak at the Hitching Post II in Buellton, CA. I later aerated further with a Vinturi.

The appearance was a dense and opaque garnet; with red cherry & cassis with hints of graphite, spice and cedar opening and developing on the bouquet. Backward but expressive on the palate with blue/blackberry & cherry notes and further dark chocolate, black olive & cedar. It drank with a regal silky feel, with fine, round & smooth tannins over a full lingering finish. Very enjoyable, but don't touch for 2-3 years- it should be a stunner. (rating- I love!)

Highly recommended Merlot from Pepper Bridge!

Alla Walla Walla

With last month's Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla, WA; the local wine community rolled out the red carpet in a big way. Friday night featured a downtown walkabout, with all of the downtown tasting rooms open and pouring.

Saturday morning brought a seminar on Walla Walla terroir with geologist Kevin Pogue. The seminar centered around many factors that are key to the success of Walla Walla wines. The ice ages and the Great Missoula Floods left silt soils rich in minerals. The high desert climate and it's bitter cold winters has kept out phylloxera, allowing Walla Walla's vines to remain ungrafted. The northerly latitude and warm summers allow for a long growing season, with plenty of radiant sunshine to the vines. Conversely, the cool nights keep acids high enough and allows for even ripening. Finally, the dry weather allows for consistent vintages due to the predictable amounts of water to the vines. These are notable built-in advantages that have helped Walla Walla (and many other areas of Washington for that matter) come into its own as a wine growing region.

The seminar concluded and we were off to tour vineyards and wineries in Walla Walla. Our exact destinations were unknown, as we randomly choose school buses to board with various destinations.

Les Collines Vineyard

I boarded a bus that started at Les Collines Vineyard for a vineyard tour and tasting. Les Collines is a leading vineyard in Walla Walla. Our hosts were vineyard founder and Amavi Cellars vintner Norm McKibben, and Brandon Moss from Gramercy Cellars. Les Collines features 240 acres of vines in the southeast of the Walla Walla AVA. With more rain in the eastern foothills of Walla Walla, this is one of the wettest vineyard areas in Eastern Washington, albeit with only about 24 inches a year. The vineyard is less reliant upon irrigation than other nearby areas, with only light irrigation in August. Les Collines is certified sustainable, practicing minimal input farming and a self composting operation. Vineyard practices include meticulous pruning, shoot thinning, green harvesting, and control of soil moisture. The three primary grapes grown here are Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah,
and Merlot.

We took a walk through the vineyard, with Norm pointing out their shoot positioning and the stage of berry set on the vines. The vineyard is stunningly beautiful, and in the prettiest area of Walla Walla that I saw over the course of the weekend. It was a stark and desolate beauty; located next to wheat fields, and spread across gently rolling hills, with expansive views of the surrounding foothills.

The Wines-

Finally it was time for the real treat. We tasted three wines made from Les Collines grapes.

~2007 Amavi Cellars Les Collines Syrah, Walla Walla- Aged 16 months in 20% new French oak. Rich in the glass with gamey fruit, olive, and savory herb aromas. Lush and smooth on the palate with black fruit, leather, pepper, and mint; and a dusty gripping structure and finish---excellent---$34.

~2006 Gramercy Cellars Tempranillo, Walla Walla- Tempranillo, Grenache, and Syrah. Soft floral and mineral accented by the fruit. Drinks nice and elegant with red fruit, coffee, & earthen spice. Silky with spicy tannins and nice length---very good to excellent---$40.

~2008 Gramercy Cellars Syrah, Walla Walla- The nose held aromas of violets, cured meat, black olive, pepper- accented with subtle fruit. On the palate the fruit came to life with notes of lush blueberry, while carrying through the depth of the nose, before finishing with peppery tannins and a long finish---excellent---$42.

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Panel discussion at Reininger Winery

The second stop on our tour was at Reininger Winery. On the way there, our bus driver nearly caused an accident as we pulled right out in front of oncoming cars. A honk and a bird later, we made it in one piece to Reininger! There, we sat for a panel discussion with Chuck Reininger, Ron Coleman of Tamarack Cellars, and Mike Tembreull of Tero Estates. It was an interesting discussion with questions and input from our group.

Some of the things that were discussed included: the relative ease of doing business in Walla Walla compared to California wine regions (and how that has helped the area's development as a wine region); the evolution of the AVA- they are still discovering what grapes and practices work best; and what wines should be the identity of the AVA.

The Wines-

We tasted a wine from each of the vintners in attendance.

~1999 Reininger CIMA, Walla Walla- Sangiovese, Cab Sauv, and Merlot. Very dark in color with brick highlights. The nose reminded me of chocolate covered cherries, along with hints of earth. The cherry was riper and more prevalent upon drinking, with hints of coffee, tobacco, and cocoa. Silky with smooth loose tannins. Nice, seemed a little past its peak---good to very good---$? (no longer available)

~2008 Tamarack Cellars Cabernet Franc, Columbia Valley- Deep garnet color with aromas of dried herbs & violets, vanilla, and minerally red fruit. Lots of red fruit on the palate with backing spice and pepper. Silky and creamy tannins and spice on the finish---very good---$28.

~2007 Tero Estates Windrow, Walla Walla- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec- harvested at the same time and fermented as a field blend. Aged in 500L oak puncheons. Meant to be a precise representation of the vineyard at a particular moment in time. Aromas of mineral, black cherry, pipe tobacco, and coffee- with the addition of caramel, black fruit, and light spice on the palate. Supple structure with opulent tannins---very good---$42.

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Northstar Winery

The final stop of the day was for a lunch and private tour at Northstar Winery with winemaker David "Merf" Merfeld. Northstar is Chateau Ste. Michelle's Walla Walla property, and is in the south of the AVA. They've set out to highlight the potential of Merlot in Walla Walla and the Columbia Valley, making big Merlot wines with lots of oak character and firm structure. Northstar is a large-scale winery with full visitor amenities.

The Wines-

~2006 Merlot, Walla Walla- 78% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Cab Franc. Aged 17 months in 56% new French oak. Big and unctuous with lots of cocoa, coffee, and black fruit- oak driven. May need some time for the oak to integrate further---good---$50.

~2006 Merlot, Columbia Valley- 76% Merlot, 19% Cab Sauv, with Petite Verdot & Cab Franc. Aged 18 months in 70% French & 30% American oak (total 65% new). Savory black fruit and notes of spice- with hints of mineral, spice, black fruit, and integrated espresso oak notes. Well structured and firm---very good to excellent---$41.

Not available on their website, we also tasted the 2005 Columbia Valley Syrah, and the 2006 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cabernet was my favorite wine of the visit; with plenty of leather, cedar, red & black fruits, spice, and tobacco- all with peppery firm tannins---very good to excellent.

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Being a younger region, and without the high profile of the California wine regions, an AVA like Walla Walla is one that I previously viewed from the periphery. Knowing some of the benchmark wines, but not really knowing Walla Walla. This was a great indoctrination, and one that I'll look forward to exploring further in the future.

Click the link for all Walla Walla photos.