Great Wine Made Simple - Andrea Immer [44]
Flavor intensity can vary based on a wine’s quality level, although not always in exact proportion. For both Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, the range goes from uncomplicated everyday styles to the super-intense boutique and collectible Merlot- and Cabernet-based wines from places like Bordeaux in France, California, and Washington State. In Chapters 6 and 7, our tastings of French and Italian wines will illustrate how flavor intensity varies according to a wine’s quality level.
As for subtle versus strong flavor intensity, I will defer this tasting comparison to Chapter 5, which highlights the subtler flavor intensity of classic European regional wines, compared to the new wave varietals and blends that emulate them. In that chapter, we will also explore the body differences, and the reasons for them, in more detail. For purposes of exploring the Flavor Map, we’ll compare Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon to see their subtle similarities and distinctions.
Aside from their basic fruit flavors, Merlots tend to be medium-bodied with medium tannins (more than Pinot Noir, equal to or less than Cabernet Sauvignon) and some oak aging (from just a little for everyday Merlots, to very long aging in new barrels for very upscale wines, whose fruit is powerful enough to support lots of oak). To the taster, oak is perceived in the everyday wines as a subtle grace note, while in the upscale versions, it is usually a prominent feature in the wine’s overall style.
Cabernet Sauvignon is generally full-bodied, with ample tannins that should be matched by the fruit intensity. Its fruit tastes are classically described as blackcurrant and cassis, along with the rest of the moderate-zone fruit family (dark berries and plums). Oak aging plays the same role here as with Merlot, a subtle note in the style of everyday Cabernets, and a more prominent oaky character in the upscale versions.
I have noticed, while tasting so many Merlots and Cabernet Sauvignons in search of wines for the wine lists I write, that there are more similarities than differences in their fruit flavors, just as the Flavor Map would suggest. As such, the tasting I present here is a comparison of these two grapes, so that you can explore the subtle differences, but also see the family resemblance. The tasting list is again broken into price tiers, so that you can compare a Merlot and a Cabernet from the same price tier. If your store has them, a Merlot and a Cabernet from the same winery make an especially interesting comparison; you can really focus on the character of each grape, because the winemaker and winemaking style are the same.
Merlot Scorecard
Professional A late-nineties explosion in popularity and worldwide plantings put Merlot neck-and-neck with Cabernet as the top-selling red grape in the U.S. But as production mushroomed, quality slid toward mediocrity, forcing buyers to get more choosy and prompting many to reach out for Shiraz and other alternatives. Still, there are many worthy Merlots. For everyday-priced wines, California and Washington are the most successful regions, although Bordeaux, France, also offers some good proprietary, varietal Merlots. Chile makes dozens of everyday-priced Merlots, but in my opinion these as a group have not lived up to their potential, at least so far. In upscale Merlots, I think red French Bordeaux is the quality leader; however, you will not find the varietal listed on the labels of its best Merlots, which are regionally named wines. (I will show you how to identify them in Chapter 6.) Washington and especially California are also very big in the upscale Merlot business, and although the quality of the wines is sometimes quite high, the prices always are. I have shown here some of the wines that I think consistently deliver the goods.
Personal The bottom line to me is this: Merlot makes perfectly good—but rarely great—red wines.