Pride Mountain Merlot: The Merlot to Which Every Cali Merlot Should Aspire

I've been pretty vocal in other posts before about how disappointing I find California Merlot to be. Let's face it, to most California vintners Merlot is an afterthought. Not considered to be a flagship like Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Pinot Noir, it can't command as high a price so it's relegated to the post of being a necessary part of a portfolio -- kind of like the fat guy on a bad sitcom.

It just burns me up. Why? Because the grape deserves better.

Merlot is the most widely planted red grape in Bordeaux and there it achieves heights of elegance, finesse, and delicacy that are simply beautiful. Petrus, the most expensive wine in the world, is made of 95% Merlot (and 5% Cabernet Franc). In France, the grape is given deference, respect, and cared for in a way that allows it to shine.

So how did it become so lame in Cali? In my mind, there's a very clear path that this grape took to become second fiddle to Cabernet Sauvignon and it all started in 1991.

This was the year that 60 Minutes aired something on "The French Paradox," which essentially states that even though the French eat diets high in saturated fat, they have a low incidence of heart disease... due to their consumption of red wine. Americans, looking for any easy way to justify eating horribly bad, fatty food sans guilt, went out in droves and purchased red wine. Most found Pinot Noir and Cabernet either too complex or too expensive, so Merlot was their Golidlocks choice. Soft tannins, ripe, lush fruit, and a decent price -- the early 90s saw a big uptick in purchase of this varietal.

Wine is a business. The laws of supply and demand work as well in this business as they do in the microchip biz. People wanted light, fruity Merlot and California vintners saw the second coming of the Gold Rush. Whee Haw! They planted Merlot in every nook and cranny they could find and pumped out the stuff in oceans. Producers held the prices of the other varietals and made Merlot their cash cow. Americans spent the 90s drinking inexpensive Merlot. In fact, according to the Impact Annual Wine Study, from 1995 - 1999, American consumption of Merlot grew nearly 5-fold (BTW -- I shudder to think about the quality back in the early boom years. It takes at least 3 years for a new vineyard to produce grapes that can make wine, so agriculture needed to catch up to demand. I guess that's why growth really exploded in the late 90s).

The thing that kills me is that California keeps betting on handicapped horses. Merlot is not an easy grape to grow right. It's got thin skin so it's susceptible to rot. It buds early, which means a late frost in the spring can damage the crop. It doesn't thrive in fertile soil and it's best when the vines are old. The biggest problem in a sunny area, is that the grape overripens quickly and can lose flavor and complexity in a matter of days. Pinot Noir, the more recent darling of California, has even more issues when it comes to growing. I guess they like a challenge, but I wish more winemakers would rise to when it comes to Merlot so we didn't have just a glut of non-descript red wine labeled Merlot.

Let me end my lament here, though. Fortunately, there are some producers that do Merlot right. Most notably Duckhorn and Pride Mountain. I had the very fortunate pleasure of meeting the National Sales Manager from Pride recently and he gifted me a bottle when I expressed my love for their wine and my respect for the care they give to Merlot.

Pride Mountain Vineyards sits on the county line of Napa and Sonoma, atop Spring Mountain, one of the best winemaking areas in either county. The vineyards are at 2100 feet and since 1990, the Winery has churned out amazing wines from this ideal location. It's a family operation, started by the late Jim Pride in 1989 (a dentist with a yen for farming), and Pride has a stellar, well-earned reputation.

Given how much I love this wine, I thought I'd review it. Although it's more expensive than normal stuff, it's a knockout. It will not disappoint and it's something you should experience if you want to see what California Merlot should and can be.

So here's the review:
The Wine: Pride Mountain Vineyards Merlot
Where It's From: 56% Sonoma County, 44% Napa County
The Grapes: 94% Merlot/6% Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2007
Price: $56.00

Color: A dark ruby with a brown, nearly amber rim, the wine was the color of pomegranate juice. It was rich, with very big tears that stained the glass (the things that drip down the sides of a glass after you swirl are called legs or tears and they indicate alcohol content/body). This is no powder puff Merlot -- you can just see it in the glass.

Smell: Wow. Intoxicating was the word that came to mind (not in the frat boy way, in the 'ummmm that's delicious' way!). A bouquet of violets, iris, and rose petals just popped out of the glass. Ripe plum, black cherry, licorice, and cinnamon, with some dried oregano, nutmeg and a little bit of orange peel made this wine savory and sweet smelling all at the same time. Although you can sense the high alcohol (14.6%) from the burn in your nose, it's grounded by the floral, fruity and lovely earth aromas that are completely in balance. I love that on the last sniff I got a distinct note of potting soil. What a wine. I could go on for days.

Taste: Tasting it, the wine reminded me of baked plums and rhubarb pie, with cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove flavors. There was this insanely delicious sensation of rich earth, potting soil, and wet clay, which sounds gross but was just succulent.

The wine went from fruity to flowery to spicy. There was a balance between the alcohol, tannin, and fruit that made this wine firm and bold, yet sensual and silky at the same time. The finish was rich, full, and lingering and just made me want to drink more.

Food: Get something hefty for this wine -- roasted meats and veggies would do well. I also think you could enjoy this on it's own. It's spectacular either way.

Drink or Down the Sink?: If I haven't been overly effusive yet, let me get there now. This is clearly a wine to DRINK. It's not too fruity, it has lovely earth flavors and aromas (especially for California), it is smooth and enjoyable yet has an excellent tannin structure and the finish is outstanding -- balanced, lush, and intense. This is a wonderful wine vintage after vintage. Hats off to the Pride Family.

I'd love to hear your thoughts so please leave a comment!