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By Chuck Hill
PREVIOUSLY ARCHIVED SERIES Summer Zinfandels EARLIER COLUMNS
The Mystery of Viognier
Versatile Pinot Noir
Versatile Chardonnays:
Wines of the Week REVIEWS BY VARIETAL
Chuck's Wine Reviews
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Archived Wines of the Week Meat My Merlot -
Merlot is one of the most planted red wine varieties in the world. Considered by most to be second fiddle to Cabernet Sauvignon, it can offer luscious, round fruit, mouth-filling flavors and seductive long finishes. It is often quite approachable when young and serves as a fine accompaniment to rich and flavorful meat dishes. We now embark on a change-of-season odyssey in four parts to evaluate Merlot wines as a partner to gourmet sausages - pork, chicken, lamb and combinations thereof. There are discoveries to be made about this wine-and-food marriage. By the way, pour your wine and let is breathe for a half hour. Alexandria Nicole Cellars Jarrod Boyle makes some of the tastiest wines that come out of Washington State. His estate Merlot from Destiny Ridge Vineyard offers a nose of ripe cherry, plum, earth, spicy tobacco and cedar. T he palate continues with sweet cherry, black fruits and notes of spicy oak. Superb with lamb sausage.
L'Ecole No 41 Marty Clubb at L'Ecole No 41 continues the tradition of superb Merlots at this pioneering Walla Walla winery. Fruit is sourced from the Seven Hills Estate Vineyard near the Oregon border. This wine offers the refined side of Merlot, featuring complex aromas of cherry candy, spicy floral perfume, cocoa and cedary herbal notes. The palate is forward with plum and cherry flavors, finishing with vanilla and spicy oak. Boudreaux Cellars When mature wine tasters open a bottle of Merlot, we expect fruit. We used to get mostly fruit - plum, cherry, berry, cassis. Rob Newsom gave us fruit - and flowers and complexity. Rob makes powerful, extracted wines and this one has many of the characters of fine vintage port. Not so much alcohol, but the nose-tingling violets, blueberries, black cherries and light toast, with a palate to match that pairs up with sausages very nicely. Rust en Vrede Though this wine is vented from 100% Merlot, our tasters detected some aromatics that might have suggested a blend with Cabernet Franc. Ripe cherry and plum aromas mingle with notes of cocoa, bacon and herbal oak. The palate is perfectly balanced with flavors of herbs, cherry and toasty oak. A great value for a sophisticated wine to accompany your next sausage fest.
This ripe and flavorful wine comes from Kestrel View Estate Vineyard where the Merlot vines were planted in 1972. The nose evolves as the wine breathes to reveal black cherry, plum, baking spice, earth, cedar and herbs. The flavors mingle on the medium-bodied palate, which has ample acidity for accompanying grilled sausages; a superb, complex wine that one can linger over to enjoy the nuances that come from old-vine grapes and a little extra bottle age.
Hightower Cellars Tim and Kelly Hightower craft superb wines at their Red Mountain winery. Their 2006 Merlot is sourced from 27% Red Mountain fruit and 73% from vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills to the southwest. After a little breathing time, the wine opens up with rich layers of plum, cherry and berry aromas wrapped in notes of earth, vanilla and mocha. The succulent fruity palate is balanced with velvety tannins that leave one wanting another sip. A great food wine at a good price. Leonetti Cellar The wines made by Gary and Chris Figgins are the most sought-after in Washington State. Much of the attraction for sophisticated wine lovers is the impeccable balance and structure from great fruit, winemaking experience and judicious use of oak aging. At this young age, Leonetti Merlot benefits from decanting for breathing purposes and offers elegant cherry and blackberry aromas with complex toasty, herbal and floral aromas. The palate is tight with flavors of ripe cherry and cassis embraced by toasty oak and ample tannins. If you can get some, give it
three or more years age in your cellar. Rutherford Hill This wine leaps out of the glass and invites the taster to revel in notes of ripe raspberry, cherry and plum with notes of dark chocolate, bacon and toasty oak. The palate is ripe and juicy swirling with cherry and berry flavors that yield to rich toasty/meaty flavors. A big hit with sausages, this wine offers forward character and good value for any wine lover. Chateau St. Jean Winemakers from many regions take advantage of the complexity gained by blending wines from different growing areas. Margo van Staaveren will celebrate her 30th vintage at Chateau St. Jean in 2009 and certainly knows the wines from the Alexander Valley, Knight's Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma Valley and Russian River Valley that contribute to the seductive aromas and delicious flavors of this Merlot. Black cherry, ripe plum, cedar and tobacco are luscious and palate-pleasing aromas and flavors for complementing rich sausages and the accompanying sides. Woodward Canyon The winemaking team at Woodward Canyon also selected blending lots from multiple AVAs to craft this powerful and rich Merlot. Wines from Wahluke, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla and Yakima Valley regions contribute ripe cherry, spicy oak, coffee and cocoa notes in the aroma, while the palate is firm with cherry and toasty flavors. Decant for aeration before serving and consider 4+ years of further bottle aging.
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