USA > California > Napa Valley
I remember when I first tried these wines, these Merlot from Napa, a few years ago during a quiet lunch service in the restaurant in Covent Garden. The "Sideways" effect still weighed heavily on all (New World only?) Merlot, and the general consensus was that (almost) any wine made from this varietal was to be avoided, no excuses. I think it's unfair to give the movie all the credit for this, what about cheap Merlot? Merlot is easy to pronounce [məːlɒt] and easy to find, pretty much, anywhere - pubs, off licences and supermarkets alike. So I must admit sitting down to taste with a certain degree of prejudice.
What did I know about Merlot? It's a varietal that yields wines full of sweet red berries, sometimes herbal, other times milky-chocolate notes and a tiny bit of spice on the side; it's most likely to be softly textured, medium to light in body with soft-soft tannins. It's an early ripening variety and super popular worldwide, partly, because it's easy to grow... because it's a "blending" grape, not super exciting, right? Unless you're in the right bank of Bordeaux, that is, where Merlot is the big dog and commands pretty high prices (except if you get lucky in Manchester).
So, Merlot is like a comedy actor, a bit of a crowd pleaser; you will find enjoyable to see this actor perform in a romcom, Sunday afternoon, from the comfort of your living-room, but you'd be rather pissed off had you paid good money to go and see it in the movies. Like Ryan Reynolds in Green Lantern, those are 2 hours nobody is getting back.
Enter Rutherford Hill Winery. They've been around since the 1970s, farm a bit of land around the winery and buy fruit from growers in Napa. The focus is, obviously, on Merlot as the conditions near the winery are reminiscent of Pomerol.
The virtual tasting (my first!) was organised by Chuck Cramer who is the ambassador for Rutherford Hill in Europe; he sent the two bottles by courier a couple days before and we set up to taste at midday. I poured the Barrel Select 30 minutes before the tasting (to let it open up) and the Merlot about 10 minutes before.
Rutherford Hill Merlot 2016 Napa Valley
84% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Syrah
Ripe red plums dominate the nose, floral, fresh savory herbs, some spice and a bit of coffee on the side. Medium sort of wine, with enough tannins to make this a food friendly wine, and juicy acidity to allow drinking this on its own. Tangy and fun.
Rutherford Hill, Barrel Select 2016 Napa Valley
70% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, 10% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Franc
This needs to be decanted, it's shy at first, but then it opens up to a complex array of aromas - baked red fruit, mocha, chocolate, nutmeg, cinnamon - and a punchy palate, full body, dusty tannins, spicey finish. Robust (meaty?) and serious.
These Merlot, for me, are still crowd pleasers but not in a Green Lantern way, no. These are Ryan Reynolds in 2016s Deadpool (not the one in Wolverine's Origin which is awful), fun, punchy, irreverent, self indulgent - all in a good way and very entertaining.
In the UK you can get these wines from ABS.
Images
Map - Image by Rutherford Hill
Deadpool - Image by pngimg.com
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