Wine Tasting: Merlot

Last night several of my friends got together for the first in a series of wine tastings that will span the next several weeks. Each week we focus on a particular type of wine. No, wait, let me work on my oenological terminology: each week we focus on a particular wine varietal. Each person brings one bottle. We try to coordinate so we get wines from different countries and for different prices.

Last night was merlot, a grape native to France, but grown virtually worldwide. We served it with fresh red sauce on linguini, with an assortment of French-seasoned olives and robusto cheese, stella gorgonzola, and brie. For dessert David made chocolate mousse with whipped cream, shaved dark chocolate, and orange zest.

For kicks we started with a Sutter Home white merlot, $6. We did not rate it according to our rating system because it was entirely different. While not offensive in taste, the flavor was about as complex as Kool-Aid and finished quickly in a light Capri Sun taste. This drink was more of a punch or a sangría than a wine, and was better fit for a hot summer day with a few ice cubes and a slice of orange. I’m sure the glass bottle was a significant portion of the cost, and distributing it in a juice box with a straw to pierce the foil hole on top would certainly bring the cost down significantly.

Our least favorite was Trumpeter from Argentina, for $10, which was complex in a rotting chocolate sort of way. Coming in at nearly the same score was a $22 bottle of Château Marcadis from France which tasted as though it was aged in green wood barrels. Third place went to an $11 bottle from France called Red Bicyclette. While unremarkable, it would work well with a simple meal such as spaghetti. The light petroleum finish wasn’t enough for any of us to not consider this wine again considering its price class. In second place was Kendall-Jackson from California for $24. And first place goes to a 1997 Philippe Lorraine from California, $35. It was by far the most complex and interesting wine. Not that the taste was complex at any given point, but the taste always seemed to vary from sip to sip, with new flavors coming out throughout the glass.

Next week: Zinfandel.