I understand the comments that Miles made in movie about Merlot and that
there are different interpretations.

That said I have had some absolutely outstanding merlots that I have
actually mistook for other reds.

Lambert Bridge which is a Merlot based Meritage a few years back was one of
them I thought it was Cabernet. Very Structured 1996 vintage. Sawyer
Cellers Estate Bottled Merlot was more Cab like than that of Merlot.

I understand these are hearty vs Pinot for growing conditions but I still
enjoy the occasional Merlot.

Then what happens....?

Petrus is 100% Merlot. Not all Merlots are created equally. Paloma
Merlot reminds me of Trotanoy. Most New World Merlot reminds me of
Miles' comments.

"Coppy Littlehouse" > wrote:

> Petrus is 100% Merlot.

Petrus' vineyard today is 95% merlot, 5% cabernet franc. Up to the
mid-1960s it was around 80% merlot, 20% bouchet (= c.f.).

M.

>
>I understand the comments that Miles made in movie about Merlot and that
>there are different interpretations.
>

<snip>

I think he's referring to the mass marketed, inexpensive Merlots made by many
California makers for the US market. These wines tend to be over ripe, soft,
flabby and sweet. Even though Merlot tends to be a finnicky grape to grow
correctly, there's a lot of it planted in California and it gained popularity
in the 90's due to it's easy approachability, soft tannins, sweet fruit and
it's easy to pronounce Merlot. There are some good producers of Merlot like
Lambert Bridge, Duckhorn, Pride, Chimney Rock and Arietta but these are in a
different league.
Bi!!

Sawyer Cellars, Matanzas should also be on list.


"RV WRLee" > wrote in message
...
> >
>>I understand the comments that Miles made in movie about Merlot and that
>>there are different interpretations.
>>
>
> <snip>
>
> I think he's referring to the mass marketed, inexpensive Merlots made by
> many
> California makers for the US market. These wines tend to be over ripe,
> soft,
> flabby and sweet. Even though Merlot tends to be a finnicky grape to grow
> correctly, there's a lot of it planted in California and it gained
> popularity
> in the 90's due to it's easy approachability, soft tannins, sweet fruit
> and
> it's easy to pronounce Merlot. There are some good producers of Merlot
> like
> Lambert Bridge, Duckhorn, Pride, Chimney Rock and Arietta but these are in
> a
> different league.
> Bi!!

"RV WRLee" > wrote in message
...
> >
>>I understand the comments that Miles made in movie about Merlot and that
>>there are different interpretations.
>>
>
> <snip>
>
> I think he's referring to the mass marketed, inexpensive Merlots made by
> many
> California makers for the US market. These wines tend to be over ripe,
> soft,
> flabby and sweet. Even though Merlot tends to be a finnicky grape to grow
> correctly, there's a lot of it planted in California and it gained
> popularity
> in the 90's due to it's easy approachability, soft tannins, sweet fruit
> and
> it's easy to pronounce Merlot. There are some good producers of Merlot
> like
> Lambert Bridge, Duckhorn, Pride, Chimney Rock and Arietta but these are in
> a
> different league.

Don't forget Sterling! They pretty much put Merlot on the map here in
California with their 1973 IIRC.

To be honest, I sometimes have a difficult time telling the difference
between Merlot and Cabernet when poured blind. That's possibly because each
is usually blended with the other these days.

Tom S

Salut/Hi Midlife,

le/on Tue, 25 Jan 2005 23:39:49 -0800, tu disais/you said:-

>> Cellers Estate Bottled Merlot was more Cab like than that of Merlot.

>I have, for quite a while, found that the California Merlots I like taste
>more like Cabernet or Cabernet-based meritages.

I have to say that for the better estates in the Bordeaux region, it can
sometimes be quite hard to tell whether Merlot or Cabernet is predominant.

> But one thing I've come to enjoy about wine is learning to appreciate the specific wine varieties on
>their own merits.

Grin... I'd argue that you could leave out the words "specific" and
"varieties", and add an 's' to wine.....

Although I'd be the first to agree that the most important factor in the
flavour of a wine is the grape variety from which it's made, I'd suggest
that Merlot and the Cabs are sufficiently close in flavour for winemaking
techniques and terroir to be quite capable of blurring the differences. For
ME that's not a problem at all, I can see that it could be, for "New World
Wine" drinkers, whose reactions to a wine are very much varietal based.


> The fact that I (and many others, apparently) keep comparing Merlots to Cabs makes me wonder just what the "gold standard" for
>Merlot might be. Are the best Merlots all as close to Cab attributes as they can be, and still be classified as Merlot??

I suppose that's as much a matter of taste as to the style of wine you like
as anything else. Both Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot can be made into great
fruit bombs, and both can be made with great restraint and subtlety. I
happen to enjoy _both_ styles, and I'd argue that the overlap is far more
important than the differences. For ME Pétrus and the other greats from
Pomerol are going to be the wines by which I judge all Merlot based wines,
and Latour etc the yardstick for Cabernet based wines - even if both may
contain other grapes. But that's not to claim they're anything other than
the "best in their classes". Top CS or Merlot from Napa or Washington could
well be considered the yardsticks by someone who is used to /prefers wines
in that style.

--
All the Best
Ian Hoare
http://www.souvigne.com
mailbox full to avoid spam. try me at website

in article et, Richard
Neidich at wrote on 1/23/05 6:45 PM:

> I understand the comments that Miles made in movie about Merlot and that
> there are different interpretations.
>
> That said I have had some absolutely outstanding merlots that I have
> actually mistook for other reds.
>
> Lambert Bridge which is a Merlot based Meritage a few years back was one of
> them I thought it was Cabernet. Very Structured 1996 vintage. Sawyer
> Cellers Estate Bottled Merlot was more Cab like than that of Merlot.


I have, for quite a while, found that the California Merlots I like taste
more like Cabernet or Cabernet-based meritages. But one thing I've come to
enjoy about wine is learning to appreciate the specific wine varieties on
their own merits. The fact that I (and many others, apparently) keep
comparing Merlots to Cabs makes me wonder just what the "gold standard" for
Merlot might be. Are the best Merlots all as close to Cab attributes as they
can be, and still be classified as Merlot??

BTW, I would add A. Rafanelli Merlot to the list. Then again, I love it
because it is very Cab-like.

When it comes to new/old world I like Young California but Old Bordeaux.
To me the Gold Standard is Burgs not CS or Merlot. You can take the Pinot
Noir out of Burgundy but you cannot take the Burgundy out of France. There
is only one gold standard---Burgs.

My opionion only.

But as I said earlier the CS and Merlot in USA often blurrs.

"Ian Hoare" > wrote in message
...
> Salut/Hi Midlife,
>
> le/on Tue, 25 Jan 2005 23:39:49 -0800, tu disais/you said:-
>
>>> Cellers Estate Bottled Merlot was more Cab like than that of Merlot.
>
>>I have, for quite a while, found that the California Merlots I like taste
>>more like Cabernet or Cabernet-based meritages.
>
> I have to say that for the better estates in the Bordeaux region, it can
> sometimes be quite hard to tell whether Merlot or Cabernet is predominant.
>
>> But one thing I've come to enjoy about wine is learning to appreciate the
>> specific wine varieties on
>>their own merits.
>
> Grin... I'd argue that you could leave out the words "specific" and
> "varieties", and add an 's' to wine.....
>
> Although I'd be the first to agree that the most important factor in the
> flavour of a wine is the grape variety from which it's made, I'd suggest
> that Merlot and the Cabs are sufficiently close in flavour for winemaking
> techniques and terroir to be quite capable of blurring the differences.
> For
> ME that's not a problem at all, I can see that it could be, for "New World
> Wine" drinkers, whose reactions to a wine are very much varietal based.
>
>
>> The fact that I (and many others, apparently) keep comparing Merlots to
>> Cabs makes me wonder just what the "gold standard" for
>>Merlot might be. Are the best Merlots all as close to Cab attributes as
>>they can be, and still be classified as Merlot??
>
> I suppose that's as much a matter of taste as to the style of wine you
> like
> as anything else. Both Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot can be made into great
> fruit bombs, and both can be made with great restraint and subtlety. I
> happen to enjoy _both_ styles, and I'd argue that the overlap is far more
> important than the differences. For ME Pétrus and the other greats from
> Pomerol are going to be the wines by which I judge all Merlot based wines,
> and Latour etc the yardstick for Cabernet based wines - even if both may
> contain other grapes. But that's not to claim they're anything other than
> the "best in their classes". Top CS or Merlot from Napa or Washington
> could
> well be considered the yardsticks by someone who is used to /prefers wines
> in that style.
>
> --
> All the Best
> Ian Hoare
> http://www.souvigne.com
> mailbox full to avoid spam. try me at website

in article , Ian Hoare at
wrote on 1/25/05 3:12 PM:

> Salut/Hi Midlife,
>
> le/on Tue, 25 Jan 2005 23:39:49 -0800, tu disais/you said:-
>
>>> Cellers Estate Bottled Merlot was more Cab like than that of Merlot.
>
>> I have, for quite a while, found that the California Merlots I like taste
>> more like Cabernet or Cabernet-based meritages.
>
> I have to say that for the better estates in the Bordeaux region, it can
> sometimes be quite hard to tell whether Merlot or Cabernet is predominant.
>
>> But one thing I've come to enjoy about wine is learning to appreciate the
>> specific wine varieties on
>> their own merits.
>
> Grin... I'd argue that you could leave out the words "specific" and
> "varieties", and add an 's' to wine.....

****** I get it! It seems easier to group wines by variety, but the one
thing that always overrides that is that they are all different.... even
within the same bottling there are variations (probably barrel to barrel?).
It must be a natural inclination I have to want to organize things in my
mind.


> Although I'd be the first to agree that the most important factor in the
> flavour of a wine is the grape variety from which it's made, I'd suggest
> that Merlot and the Cabs are sufficiently close in flavour for winemaking
> techniques and terroir to be quite capable of blurring the differences. For
> ME that's not a problem at all, I can see that it could be, for "New World
> Wine" drinkers, whose reactions to a wine are very much varietal based.


****** I'm still very much in awe of those who can speak intelligently of
the myriad of French or Italian wines without the "crutch" of varietal
naming. Perhaps if I had started drinking wine when I was younger, or was
from a different part of the world, it would possibly be easier for me.
>
>
>> The fact that I (and many others, apparently) keep comparing Merlots to Cabs
>> makes me wonder just what the "gold standard" for
>> Merlot might be. Are the best Merlots all as close to Cab attributes as they
>> can be, and still be classified as Merlot??
>
> I suppose that's as much a matter of taste as to the style of wine you like
> as anything else. Both Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot can be made into great
> fruit bombs, and both can be made with great restraint and subtlety. I
> happen to enjoy _both_ styles, and I'd argue that the overlap is far more
> important than the differences. For ME Pétrus and the other greats from
> Pomerol are going to be the wines by which I judge all Merlot based wines,
> and Latour etc the yardstick for Cabernet based wines - even if both may
> contain other grapes. But that's not to claim they're anything other than
> the "best in their classes". Top CS or Merlot from Napa or Washington could
> well be considered the yardsticks by someone who is used to /prefers wines
> in that style.

********* Once more it is getting down to there being such a wide range of
"bests". I've always felt that, in the case of relating to wine critics'
scores of wines......... it only makes sense if that critics taste and your
own are somewhat in alignment. This discussion is ample proof that is true.
I'm sure many would disagree, saying that there are specific targets and
standards..... I'm pretty much happy with my own.

Thanks for your always thoughtful input.