Welcome to the occasional column in which I will focus on a single grape varietal.
Let me begin with merlot.
This red Bordeaux grape is an unsung hero — it’s the backbone of the historic cabernet sauvignon and merlot pairing blends that make France, Spain, Chile, Italy, the United States and Australia proud. Cab sauv and merlot are brothers in arms, after all.
Merlot is among the top five on the list of the world’s most widely planted grapes. It’s a rising star in Washington, and in our own warmer Santa Ynez Valley, especially the Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA.
Merlot is one of the five grapes that comprise the Bordeaux Five: With cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot, merlot is Bordeaux, and it continues bringing fame to that region of France.
However, merlot slipped out of favor when Miles, the angst-ridden lead character of the 2004 film Sideways, elevated pinot noir to cult status and kicked mighty merlot into the weeds.
But true fans of this underdog grape never turned their back on merlot, and more and more winemakers are answering consumers’ demand and producing single varietal and Bordeaux blends with merlot. This hearty varietal will best the test of time. In fact, are you drinking a red Bordeaux blend right now? Guess what? Yes, merlot.
That’s because merlot wears two hats: It’s an easy sipping “poolside-with-friends-and-cheeses” red wine, and a serious wine-food pairing contender with lamb, beef stews and Portobello mushrooms sautéed with some garlic.
Here in Santa Barbara County, among the many winemakers who include merlot in their repertoire are Dierberg and Star Lane, Dascomb Cellars, Lucas & Lewellen, Buttonwood, Brander, Baehner-Fournier, Joseph Blair, Core Wines and Sagebrush Annies.
While the Santa Barbara Vintners website doesn’t include a merlot-specific wine link, it does have a cabernet sauvignon list, available by clicking here, and many of those producers also craft merlot.
If you haven’t sipped a local merlot for some time, open a bottle and share with some friends.
— Laurie Jervis blogs about wine at www.centralcoastwinepress.com, tweets at @lauriejervis and can be reached via winecountrywriter@gmail.com. The opinions expressed are her own.