(coming this month - 2010 Black Muscat and recipes Fennel Tart and Flatirons w/Shallot Boursin!)
The history of the Merlot grape begins in the Bordeaux region of France, which is known for blending its wines. In fact, a true Bordeaux wine is made up of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, Malbec and Merlot. It is fabled that the Merlot grape is what gave the blackbird its name because the bird was known to always eat the Merlot grape first (which is properly known as Merlot Noir, henceforth, ‘blackbird’). Another possible reason for the name is that the color of the blackbird’s feathers is the same color of the grape!
The Merlot grape tends to be plum and blue in color, and ripens in early fall. Due to its thin skin, it offers less tannins to a wine; therefore, it does not have to age as long before it is luxurious enough to drink. In fact, most critics quote the wine as being a ‘real drinking wine’.
The Merlot vine may have originated in the Bordeaux region of France, but is grown in such countries as: South America, New Zealand, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Australia and America. For the most part, the varietal was often grown for blending, not as a single variety wine. In the 1980’s California began branching out and producing Merlot as a single variety wine for those looking for a smooth red. By 1990 the trend had picked up, and bottles of ‘Merlot’ are always seen on the shelves. After the movie ‘Sideways’ Merlot had a little trouble competing against its glorified cousin Pinot Noir, but it’s time to put that aside and taste what you’ve been missing the past few years.
This 2008 vintage of Merlot contains 75% Merlot from the Lodi region of California, along with 12.5% Syrah and 12.5% Tempranillo. The wine was aged for 30 months in both American and French oak and had extended maceration time offering more depth of flavor.
