Merlot

Let's start a Merlot tour today, but before we travel anywhere with it (that will start tomorrow), let's learn something about Merlot. For starters, the origins of Merlot are unknown, but we do know that it was originally called Merlau in the late 18th century. Since then, ampelographers have determined that it is in fact a child of Cebernet Franc and an obscure grape whose name I know, but about which I know nothing, called Magdeleine Noire.

Merlot has long been wildly popular in France, being one of the five noble red grapes of Bordeaux. In particular, on the "Right Bank," Merlot is often the dominant grape in the wines of St Emilion and Pomerol. Notably, many connoisseurs would tell you that the wine of Chateau Petrus in Pomerol, but on the border of St Emilion and usually 100% Merlot is one of the finest wines in the world. Its average price of more than $2,000 per bottle would hint at that as well.

As the California wine explosion hit, Merlot became an increasingly popular grape in the US. In order to keep up with the demand, satisfy American tastes, and to go with the far waemer growing climates in Napa Valley than in Bordeaux, Napa vignerons began growing Merlot in a style that would be anathema in Bordeaux; they made it into lush, fatty, somewhat sweet, but without sugar, blueberry bombs. It sold like wildfire until an originally obscure film called "Sideways" hit the big screen in late 2004 and won the Academy Award for best picture several months later. As we all now know, it panned California Merlot and played up the virtues of Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir sales soared, those of Merlot plummetted and US winemakers had to figure out how to make US-made Merlot survive. It turned out that the public was willing to pay more, but the wine had to be better for them to pay at all.

On our Merlot tour, we're going to go to some of the most praised Merlot-producing regions in the world, but we are going to start our journey tomorrow in Hebei Province, China, the gerrymandered-looking area that seems to surround Beijing. We'll travel to some of the warmer weather Merlot-growing regions such as Australia making stops in Eden Valley, Barossa Valley, and the cooler Hunter Valley while we're there. From there, we will stay in the southern hemisphere and head to the Mendoza region of Argentina, and then far north to Napa Valley. We'll gradually move to cooler growing regions from there starting in eastern Washington, heading south to Chile, and then to Europe, first to Tuscany, and then to St Emilion and Pomerol.

Until then, enjoy your current favorite Merlot.


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