This blog is based on the Spirits of New Mexico radio show that aired on February 20, 2021. We do on-air tasting of one or two wines to illustrate what is available in a particular wine region, or as a contrast of what influence a wine region has on a grape or blend. We use suitable glasses for the type of wine and do a double-decant of red wines to insure they have opened sufficiently for accurate judging.
Merlot is one of the most recognized and loved wine grapes in the world; Paul Giamatti’s Miles of Sideways notwithstanding. Merlot originated in the Bordeaux region of France and is the most planted red wine grape there. There are twice as many plantings as Cabernet Sauvignon and it’s the primary grape of the Right Bank of Bordeaux.
Merlot characteristics
Merlot is prized for its black cherry, plum and chocolate flavors, subtle tannins and soft palate. While France has by far the most plantings, Italy also has significant holdings in places like Tuscany, followed by the US, Spain, Romania (one of the first Vampire wines was a Merlot), Bulgaria, Chile (where the Carmenere grape was sometimes mistaken for Merlot) and Australia in that order.
Bordeaux Blends
The term Bordeaux blend identifies a blend of 2 to 5 varietals per wine, but it’s not an official term like Meritage. The majority of these blends use Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. However there are many single-varietal Merlot wines, or those with less than 25% of any other grape.
Livermore wine region
Wine map courtesy Livermore Valley Wine Country
On our radio show we have never focused on this wine region located on San Francisco’s lower East Bay, but many recognized wine producers call this their home. I have toured and sampled wine from Livermore many times, even joining the Fenestra Winery wine club. Fenestra is an historic winery built in 1889 and they offered wine tastings and barrel tastings outdoor earlier this February. That means they had to roll out the barrel to make it happen and that’s nice to know,
I’ve also logged many miles bicycling the valley’s back roads before the wind farms moved in. The Livermore-Pleasanton area has many valley floor vineyards, while others are on the slopes of the surrounding hills. The wineries are impressive, featuring large outdoor picnic areas and setups for the many weddings held there.
Last February about this time six of the top winemakers, including Aaron Luna of Fenestra entered a competition to make a red blend of 100% Livermore grapes with permitted percentages of 30-40% Merlot and 30-40% Syrah with no more than 25% Cab Franc, Cab Sauvignon, Petit Sirah or Zinfandel. No more than 50% new oak and six months in bottle. The six wines all medaled at the prestigious SF Chronicle Wine Competition.
The reason I mentioned this Mercurey News story is it highlights the importance of red grapes there, particularly Merlot and Syrah. The majority of wineries are located in Livermore and a portion in next-door Pleasanton and Sunol so touring and wine tasting can be fairly efficient as long the rules for tasting this Spring are reasonable.
However I have another story to tell about an even more venerable winery from this region; Wente Winery founded in 1883 and the country’s oldest family-owned winery now in their fifth generation. I’ve mentioned many Old World multi-generation family-run wineries, but this is our own. And all the Wente family is involved, which is even more astonishing.
Wente Winery (Est 1883)
This was always a good go-to winery for me in California with a very good QPR (quality-price-ratio) and long list of wines to choose from. An impressive timeline:
- Carl H Wente purchased 47 acre of vineyards in 1883
- In 1912 Carl’s son, Ernest imported Chardonnay cuttings from Montpellier, France and Gier vineyard in Pleasanton to create the famous Wente Chardonnay clone on which many California vineyards sourced cuttings.
- In 1932 Herman Wente produced the first varietal-labeled bottle of Pinot Chardonnay
- In 1963 Karl L. Wente expanded the operation to Arroyo Seco, Monterey, planting Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Wente was an early implementer of this now prized AVA.
- Wente later added a restaurant in 1986 and an 18-hole golf course in 1998
- Wente was certified sustainable in 2010
- In 2011 Wente was Wine Enthusiasts American Winery of the Year
Not a bad record for a nearly 140 year-old winery. The offer 24 red wines of specialty blends and single varietals of Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah, Four of the varietals are in their nth degree program. The Wente 2017 Merlot nth degree goes for $95 bills so I choose the modestly-priced Sandstone Merlot.
Pinot Chardonnay or Chardonnay
California Chardonnay in the early days was called Pinot Chardonnay, at least up to the time I was buying Almaden and Paul Masson wines in the 1960s. Beaujolais wines were labeled Gamay Beaujolais, even though Gamay was the only approved grape in France. Nonetheless, this is also a place to find very good Chardonnay from Livermore Valley and Arroyo Seco, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling and dessert wines. The SF Bay fog bank does wonders for Livermore vineyards.
Chardonnay was long thought to be a variant of Pinot Noir, and it was often misidentified as Pinot Blanc, as well as White Pinot, Pinot Chardonnay, and even Pinot Blanc Chardonnay. And we thought identify theft was a modern consideration! This led to DNA fingerprinting in the 1990s which revealed that Chardonnay is the child of Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc, a workhorse white grape from Roman times.
Image courtesy Wente website
What we are tasting: Wente Sandstone Merlot 2018 ABV 13.5%, $16.49
Estate Grown Sandstone Merlot comes from a gently sloping formation of hills running along the southeastern corner of historic Livermore Valley. With warm days, cool nights, well-drained sandstone soils, and incoming breezes from the San Francisco Bay, the Wente family’s hillside vineyard is an ideal place to grow outstanding Merlot and Bordeaux varieties. The wine is a blend of 77% Merlot, 13% Petite Sirah, 5% Malbec, and 5% Petit Verdot. (A varietal wine must be 75% of total.)
Winemaking: Varietals were fermented separately in upright stainless steel tanks and pumped over 2-3 times daily. Wine was pressed on the skins after 7-12 days and aged 18 months in French and American barrels. Harvest: Sept 20 – Oct 10, brix 24.3, release date June 2020
Tasting notes: Our 2018 Sandstone Merlot has inviting notes of blackberry and pomegranate, with a hint of sandalwood. This delicious Merlot bursts with flavors of black cherry and plum, finishing with a nice lingering acidity and long finish.
Analysis: This is a very good Merlot for the price with good structure and tannins, ripe fruit and a fine finish. Crisp acidity and modest alcohol make it a fine food-pairing wine as well.
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