Make Mine Merlot

November 12, 2021 – Somehow, most of us most likely missed International Merlot Day, which happened to be this past Sunday, November 7. I missed it by a day, drinking Merlot on Saturday instead. The entire month of October used to be dedicated to Merlot and a clever hashtag #MerlotMe got some airplay, right up until last year. Blame the demise of the short-lived would be grape revival on the pandemic. The fact that Merlot producers found it necessary to band together in an effort to promote this once ubiquitous beverage that used to be atop the Nielsen charts right along with Chardonnay and Cabernet until 2007, is worthy of further scrutiny.

Merlot crashed and burned starting in 2004, the same year that despicable movie Sideways hit the theaters. It became the “it” flick of the year, although there was precious little about that could be called redeeming, except the inside joke that the wine Miles covets and drinks in secret is actually Merlot. Still, it gave Pinot Noir an extraordinary pulpit from which to preach, at the expense of the doggerel, Merlot.

Talk about a movie that trashed the reputation of a noble Bordeaux variety while elevating the reputation of another. Growers literally ripped out hundreds of acres of Merlot and planted Pinot Noir. They planted it everywhere that Merlot had been, and in places where Pinot Noir does not belong. Some growers grafted Chardonnay over to Pinot Noir in an effort to increase the value of their crop, further swelling the supply. The market is now so oversaturated with Pinot Noir, that the price of Chardonnay has gone up, as buyers look for a safe haven. 

Still, Pinot Noir in California will never be Burgundy, even though its price has gone steadily north, and Merlot in California will never be the Right Bank. But there is more likeness in some Central Coast Merlots to their Pomerol compadres than there is between Pinot Noir and their relatives, the Premier Crus of Burgundy. You might mistake a Merlot from the Santa Cruz Mountains for something Old World. It’s rare you will do the same with a Pinot Noir from anywhere in the Monterey or Santa Cruz region. 

The fact that we’re even talking about Merlot as if it were some kind of relic from the past is a shame. Ask yourself, when was the last time you had a really good bottle of Merlot? 

We all know Duckhorn (Three Palms) makes a very palatable, soft California style, as does Decoy, their feathered nestmate brand. There’s Ehlers, Roth, Sullivan, Trefethen, Cakebread and Markham from Napa, and Livermore offers some solid choices from Cuda Ridge, Page Mill Winery, Steven Kent, Occasio and Wood Family. 

But who makes standout Merlots from our Monterey/Santa Cruz back yard? I’m talking the kind of Merlot that makes you set the glass down, and declare, WHOA! Now, that’s a wine worthy of further exploration, not something to knock back like a can of Bud Light. 

Half a dozen good reasons to get out and map out a Merlot movie of your own, include: Beauregard Vineyards 2017 Zayante Vineyard Merlot from the Santa Cruz Mountains; McIntyre’s 2016 Kimberly Vineyard Merlot from Arroyo Seco; Perrucci Cellars Regan Vineyard Merlot from Corralitos; Comanche Cellars 2017 and 2018 Medeiros/Zajak Vineyards Merlot from Santa Clara Valley; Assiduous Wines 2019 Kells Vineyard Merlot from the Santa Cruz Mountains; and Lexington Wine Co 2016 Merlot from Gist Ranch, Santa Cruz Mountains. 

Burrell School Vineyards has made some standout “Honor Roll” Merlot from the estate vineyard in the Summit Road area, and you can also get a decent bottle of Merlot from Hahn, J Lohr, Parsonage and De Tierra. I also highly recommend the. Lohr Cuvée POM, inspired by the Grand Cru wines of Pomerol on Bordeaux’s famed Right Bank. Although those are typically based heavily on Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with saucy bits of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Petit Verdot, Brenden Wood, red winemaker and Steve Peck, director of winemaking at J. Lohr, chose 77% Merlot and 33% Malbec for this wine. It’s really impressive. 

Got any Merlot favorites? Email me at highperf@got.net. I’m in a Merlot deficit.

Savvy Sips: Favorite Santa Cruz Mountains Merlots

2017 Beauregard Vineyards Merlot, Zayante Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains One whiff and you know this isn’t some powder puff by the glass Merlot you’d expect to find on the list at a 9-hole golf course. Built like a Percheron, this steed could cart you and your golf buddies and all your gear around all 18 holes without getting winded. Aromas of dark cherry, cedar, leather, sweet leaf tobacco and baking spice, especially cinnamon stick, warm your nostrils. It floods the palate with waves of Luxardo cherry, horehound drops, red licorice, dried currant, baking spice and savory bay. You don’t just drink this wine: you go on a wild ride. Seriously, this is the best local Merlot available right now, and at $35, it is a steal, so make haste. Sadly, it’s likely the last Merlot Ryan Beauregard will make from this vineyard, as it was sold in 2018. 

2016 Lexington Wine Co Merlot, Gist Ranch Vineyards, Santa Cruz Mountains  From a vineyard planted by the Fogarty family at 2400 ft. in 2000 on Skyline Boulevard between Black Road and Bear Creek Road to showcase Bordeaux varieties, this Merlot is cool climate prowess at its most statuesque and pine-filled. This is stalwart, serious wine, with marvelously grippy tannins, aromas of cedar, leather and bay leaf, delivering acres of blueberry, red plum, basil, tarragon and licorice on the palate. This will age for another decade quite nicely, but would be awesome now, decanted and served with eggplant lasagna or a Portobello mushroom burger with grilled Hatch chiles and maybe some fried green tomatoes on top. 

2019 Perrucci Family Vineyards Merlot, Regan Vineyard, Corralitos, Santa Cruz Mountains This wine keeps winning awards vintage after vintage, and no wonder: it is dead on close to Right Bank, because it’s planted in a cool spot that sometimes gets perfectly ripe but never too much so. With input from viticulturist Prudy Foxx, this vineyard now has a decent chance of being ripe before Thanksgiving most years, although this year is going to be a nail biter. The 2019 offers velvety firm tannins, vibrant acidity, and an absolute rush of flavors, delivering black currant, leather, cigar, olives and dark truffles, while disguising a dark soul that keep things interesting. Hmmm, dark chocolate? With each sip, this wine erupts like molten lava cake, flooding every corner of your mouth, in a most charming manner.