Wine of the week #29: Merlot (Red/Chile)

Hi all,

Continuing on the top grapes, I have hunted down the Pub's favourite: Chilean Merlots. Four wines under £10, from £3.99 to £8.99 tasted blinded. And the winner is:

It is

A dry red wine made from Merlot grapes in Chile.

Expect

Appearance: deep ruby, sparse thick legs.

Nose: blackberries, black fruits, pepper and spices.

Palate: very fruit driven with red fruits (red currants, raspberries) with some sweet spices and hints of pepper too, medium bodied, warm pleasant alcohol, slight acidity imbalance and relatively long finish with some tannins but relatively fine-grained.

Score: 11/20 (not taking into account price)

You'll like it if you like: red plums, smooth-textured wines, easy drinking wines, relatively low structure and tannins, Beaujolais, young Tempranillo, standard Bordeaux.

Have it with

Almost anything? Merlot is one of the most versatile grape so try it 

I would recommend some bacon-wrapped chicken or a roasted pork belly. 

Where to find it & scores

1) Laithwaites - The Patriots - £6.99 - See above. 11/20

2) Tesco - Frontera - £6.99 - More complexity (fruits & layers of tobacco) but shorter finish and slightly sticky tannins. 10/20

3) Waitrose - Montgras - £8.99 - Beautiful bottle, smooth wine but slightly sticky tannins and shorter finish. 9/20

4) Tesco - Chilean Merlot - £3.99 - Confected fruit on the nose, easy to drink but bland. 5/20

Did you know?

> DNA research has proven to be the progeny of cabernet franc and another still unknown grape variety.

> Merlot is a black grape that is relatively easy to grow: it ripens easily and produce high yields.

> Merlot can be found in moderate climates (e.g. Bordeaux, Italy) where it tends to produce red fruit driven medium-bodied wines and in hot climates (Chile, South Africa, California) where the black fruit and alcohol dominates.

> In Saint Emilion and Pomerol wines, Merlot is the dominant grape variety, which gives its generally smoother and fruitier flavours.

> There is a white merlot variety which is not a mutation of the black merlot and is still grown in very low quantity in Bordeaux.

Whatever wine you drink this weekend, enjoy your wine!

:@lex

Wine of the week - Christmas Special III - Bordeaux (Red/France)

Hi all,

10 days left until Christmas! This week, Christmas dinner part three: a roast beef. To go with it, an easy-drinking good value Bordeaux 2007 from Chateau Méaume @ £7.99.

What it is

Red Bordeaux Supérieur from Chateau Méaume, located only 15kms from Saint Emilion and Pomerol areas. Made from Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

What to expect

Appearance: Deep ruby colour

Nose: Subtle mix of vanilla, ripe plum and a touch of cedar.

Palate: Very soft and smooth from start to finish: very fresh, fruity attack (plum juice flowing), soft texture with darker fruit flavours building up gently before medium tannins let go softly. Fine balance between fruit and acidity.

EASY DRINKING BORDEAUX: ULTRA SMOOTH WITH SOFT PLUM, VANILLA & CEDAR FLAVOURS. NO MORE, NO LESS.

Score: 8/10 (wine shown)

You’ll like it if you like: plums, vanilla, lighter fruity reds (e.g. Bardolino, Valpolicella, Tempranillo), other ‘softer’ Bordeaux e.g. Margaux, St Emilion, Pomerol.

Have it with
The Christmas Roast beef: a beautiful Red wine glazed roast beef. Yum!

Where to find it
1) Majestic - £7.99 (when you buy 2). Excellent value and very difficult to dislike.

2) Sainsburys - £7.49 (1/2 price) Lussac Saint Emilion. Probably a bit fuller but decent alternative for the price. Similar offer in Waitrose.

3) Tesco - £13.79. Chateau Lapelletrie Saint Emilion 75Cl. Merlot dominated.

Did you know

> Bordeaux produces a fair amount of wine with about 700 million bottles a year. 89% of Bordeaux wines are red but you can find some gorgeous dry whites (Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon), sweet whites (Sémillon) and even Sparkling.

> The first wines from Bordeaux date back from 48AD when Romans established vineyards for their occupying soldiers.

> Bordeaux is an ideal place for growing vines: its soils are heavy in calcium, its climate benefits from the drainage of the Gironde, Garonne and the cooling, tempering influence Atlantic Ocean.

> Claret is an English term to describe the Red Bordeaux. The term is derived (deformed?) from vinum clarum or clairet, a dark pink wine exported from France to England in medieval times. If Claret has become synonym for red Bordeaux, Clairet is sold as a rosé and still exists in Bordeaux.

> ‘Bordeaux Supérieur’’s authorised yields are lower vs. normal Bordeaux. This should normally result in a further concentration of sugar and flavours in the fruit.

> Cabernet Sauvignon, the star grape of the Bordeaux region, is now proven to be a crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. The crossing happened naturally in the vineyards that planted both in the old days.

> Best recent vintages in descending order: 2005, 2009, 2001, 2003 and 2008.

> Chateau Méaume has been British-owned since 1980!

Bordeaux is a very very vast topic so very happy to answer any question on the topic!

Otherwise, try  http://www.bordeaux.com/

Cheers! Santé! Salud! Salute!

:@lex