As Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County and the local wine industry celebrates the 10th anniversary of the movie Sideways, our lunch group chose a theme of Merlot, the much maligned varietal throughout the film.
As usual, we enjoyed the private library dining room at the Santa Barbara Club and were treated to a matching 5 course luncheon from Chef Humberto [see menu].
At a local event in August, I got an opportunity to talk with Sideways actor Paul Giamatti [Miles} and asked how Merlot was chosen as the culprit. The surprising answer was that director Alexander Payne, standing nearby, selected Merlot because it sounded better than any other choice.
So, in deference to Miles` comment, “If anyone orders Merlot I am leaving. I am not drinking f……g Merlot”, we drank it and no one left until we had consumed 16 bottles.
Another Miles quote from the movie re Merlot is funny enough to insert here as well, “It tastes like the back of a f…..g L.A. school bus. Now they probably didnt de-stem, hoping for some semblance of concentration, crushed it up with leaves and mice, and then wound up with this rancid tar and turpentine bullshit.”
Fortunately, our wines were devoid of such.
We started with a sparkling wine:
2009 ARGYLE BRUT- nice acidity, pleasant citrus notes and quite palate cleansing and prepping for all that followed.
The 16 Merlot were served in 4 flights of 4:
1998 DUCKHORN NAPA MERLOT- some bricking; earthy forest floor nose; very tasty; it was soft and elegant in a medium body, had some talc join in with dried figs and black currant notes; showing real good and seemingly just at or passed its peak.
2001 DUCKHORN NAPA MERLOT- I loved this wine as much as any on the day; it had lots of upfront fruitiness, beautiful balance, was soft and easy on the palate.
1994 PAHLMEYER NAPA MERLOT- a quite different profile than the 2 Duckhorns having wild, intense red and black fruit that is enhanced by some nice spice and cinnamon and being delivered in a silky, velvety texture all the way to the back end; this would be outstanding on its own.
1996 RIDGE DRY CREEK VALLEY LYTTON WEST VINEYARD MERLOT- this rounded out the flight with a major win; it was so nicely layered with mild explosions unfolding one after another; the fruit was a bit on the tart side, but not to a fault as there was some fine licorice flavored wild black cherries and black currants after an initial ride through on the red side of the same fruit types; it kept expanding and with its deep, rich dark color and structure, has the stuff to go on for many years.
2ND FLIGHT:
2005 BERINGER BANCROFT RANCH HOWELL MOUNTAIN MERLOT- another Merlot showing really well; the Sideways folks would have to change their selected varietal to bash after these first 5; this was vibrant, had depth in layers and enough fruit and acidity to go a long way; it`s very youthful and delivering immense pleasure along with the soft creamy texture; superb.
2004 SWITCHBACK RIDGE PETERSON FAMILY VINEYARD MERLOT- I have a lot of respect for this producer across the board for all varietals, but this bottle fell way short of my expectations; it was truly an oak bomb with dominate notes of toast and vanilla, talc and sandalwood; some black cherry comes in at the mid palate and stays for a while before dissipating at the finish.
2003 MEDLOCK AMES BELL MOUNTAIN VINEYARD MERLOT- a new producer to me, doing things organically in Alexander Valley, the name was intriguing and I thought of an all star baseball or football player before learning it is the combination of the 2 owners middle and first names; the wine was on the dry side from early on through the end; there`s decent fruit for a short stay, but in this company, the wine had a lot of stiff competition.
2004 LEONETTI CELLAR COLUMBIA VALLEY MERLOT- Ive long admired this producer and many of their wines, especially the Cabernets; this falls in line with the quality expected and gives and gives; its balanced, rich in sweet black cherry flavors and has that Merlot softness to please the palate; a winner.
3rd FLIGHT:
2005 LARCIS DUCASSE ST. EMILION- another in a lineup of superb wines; this one reeks of elegance and stature; great balance, pleasant mouthfeel and chocolate covered black currant, cherry and berry fruit; some power and lots of grace.
1985 CHATEAU FIGEAC ST. EMILION- unfortunately corked
1998 CHATEAU LA CONSEILLANTE POMEROL- this showed it could stay with the big dogs to a point; it had lots of black fruit still with primary as well as tertiary notes; the taste profile was tarnished by the curry/ cumin spices in the entrée I had so I do not want to diss this for the weird finish it had; it was just a bad pairing.
2010 ANDERSONS CONN VALLEY VINEYARDS “RIGHT BANK” MERLOT- 70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc; spicy minty licorice flavored black cherry prevails amidst a well structured wine with good length; delightful especially following an 85 and 98`.
4th FLIGHT:
2010 PETROLO GALATRONA TUSCANA- this has been a fav of my dinner group for some time now and Im happy it showed up again with this group as it is drinking so well now and has all of the makings to evolve into even bigger and greater pleasurable things; its already big and bold, but has some elegance that tends to balance out the youthful exuberance; love the spicy notes that accompany some tar and chocolate infused black fruit all the way through; this is one of those wines where it most certainly will mature into magnificence even though it offers a lot presently; the biggest issue is can one keep their hands off of it long enough to allow that eventuality?; and, it`s a great QPR.
2000 FALESCO MONTIANO LAZIO- coffee, leather and spice join in with the still fresh black fruit and provide a splendid experience in this medium bodied wine; it finishes on the dry side, but there`s a lot of pleasure beforehand to enjoy.
2009 QUERCETO di CASTELLINA PODALIRIO TOSCANA- the nose is so welcoming and for a good reason, there`s a lot to behold afterwards; an abundance of wild cherry berry fruit comes in immediately and lingers until the tannins take over and finish it up on the dry side.
2010 TUA RITA REDIGAFFI TOSCANA- I was waiting for this to come around all afternoon as I`ve had a few and loved all; this was no exception; fully loaded and packed with a flavor profile of lavender, mint, chocolate laced black and blue fruit served up in a full body with complexity, depth and structure to carry this on to great magnitudes; a consistent winner.
2 DESSERT WINES:
2013 BRANDER MERLOT ICEWINE- made from frozen grapes, this has 8% alc. and 34% residual sugar; only 50 liters were made; needless to say, this is a serious sweetie to be sipped in small quantities; a little dab will do ya.
2001 CHATEAU GUIRAUD SAUTERNES- our Prince of Sweets did it again with a 750 ml of this dessert in a glass; there`s a hit of coconut to accompany the honeyed peach and apricot that lingers on and on; another one to just sip, enjoy and call it a day which for some, translates into going home for a nap after these lunches. My friend and I went for a glass of fine Champagne.
Cheers,
Blake
