Adventures in Wine > Merlot
Merlot
Although mercilessly pilloried in the hit film ‘Sideways’, Merlot remains a perennial favourite with winemakers and consumers. Its spiritual home is in Bordeaux’s Right Bank appellations of St Emilion and Pomerol. But these days, Merlot is just as much at home in California, Chile, South Africa and Australia. Merlot’s soft tannins and plummy fruit flavors, together with its early-ripening tendencies, make it a natural blending partner, particular with Cabernet Sauvignon.
Buty (and BEAST)
Winery: Buty (and BEAST)
Region: Washington
Sub-region: Walla Walla
Chardonnay
Columbia Rediviva
Merlot/Cabernet Franc
Rediviva of the Stones
Sémillon, Sauvignon & Muscadelle
BEAST Riesling Sphinx
BEAST Red Wildebeest
Buty and BEAST wines are unified by the people who produce them. They both possess an extraordinary texture, structured backbone, focus on lovely fruit, and a balance of approachability and ability to age.
Buty is the first Northwest winery to create focused blends of cabernet sauvignon and syrah. The Rediviva blends marry cabernet sauvignon’s intensity and syrah’s complexity. Rediviva of the Stones favors syrah and is grown in the cobblestones of the ancestral Walla Walla riverbed in the southern part of the Walla Walla Valley. The Rockgarden Estate will become the exclusive source of Rediviva of the Stones, and will be certified organic. Columbia Rediviva is a cabernet sauvignon centric wine and is grown at Phinny Hill Vineyard. Phinny Hill Vineyard is also transitioning to organic status. This fantastic site provides vistas down on to the famous Champoux Vineyard and across the Horse Heaven Hills.
The two Rediviva wines are named for the sloop Captain Robert Gray piloted up the Columbia River in 1792. He hoped the river would prove to be the Northwest Passage, and so bestowed on it the name of his ship, Columbia Rediviva. Prior to this voyage, she was the first American ship to circumnavigate the globe. As the river that connects all of the vineyards we work with at Buty, the Columbia is a lifeline we honor as the namesake of our Columbia Rediviva wine.
BEAST is the irresistible alter-ego. With BEAST there are no rules. Buty creates what they feel compelled to make each year. With BEAST they present new varietals, new vineyards, or showcase an intriguing wine outside of the Buty portfolio. Sometimes a wily BEAST will tantalize you only once, and sometimes it may appear again unexpectedly. Keep a watchful eye out for the annual Halloween release. Some years an unruly BEAST refuses to stay in hibernation past April Fool’s. Be aware. You’ll want to make acquaintance with these exclusive creations before it’s too late.
Categories: Beast, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Columbia, Merlot, Muscadelle, Rediviva, Riesling, Sauvignon, Semillon, Sphinx, Wildebeest
Chateau Cap de Merle
Winery: Chateau Cap de Merle
Region: Bordeaux
Sub-region: Lussac St.-Emilion
Cap de Merle
Chateau Cap de Merle is a delicious St-Emilion that represents excellent value. Owners and winemakers Alain and Jean-Marie Bel use no wood in vinifying Cap de Merle, so the pure, rich, spicy Merlot fruit come through directly upon tasting. The winery’s excellent plateau vineyards on clay and sandstone soils assures optimal ripeness of fruit and supple tannins. The Merlot and Cabernet are vinified separately, and are assembled in the spring. Cap de Merle is a lush, round, balanced wine with notes of dark fruit, plums, and chocolate. The wine is meant to be enjoyed young (3-4 years after the vintage) but it can also be cellared for up to 10 years. Cap de Merle is a most versatile and enjoyable St-Emilion. Since it comes from the Lussac area, just outside St-Emilion itself, Cap de Merle represents exceptional value in Merlot-based Bordeaux. Chateau Cap de Merle is a fine match for London Broil with sautéed mushrooms, roast veal and pork and Cajun cuisine.
Categories: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
Chateau Grimard
Winery: Chateau Grimard
Region: Bordeaux
Sub-region: Pomerol
Bordeaux
Chateau Grimard is a small, three generation-old family estate located in the commune of Lugon, just outside the Fronsac region on the right-bank of Bordeaux. The vineyard lies on a south-east slope, which is ideal for attaining full ripeness. The vines have an average age of 25 years. Chateau Grimard is a classic Bordeaux, offering a deep red-purple color, a lush bouquet, and ripe plummy-cassis fruit with good structure. It is a wine with more definition and character than most other petite chateaux, which is in part due to the excellent location of the property, where the Merlot grape thrives in the area’s clay soils. Chateau Grimard is vinified and matured in stainless steel tanks to ensure that it gives immediate pleasure at the table. It is a versatile, food-friendly wine that can be enjoyed with fowl and red meat dishes.
Categories: Cabernet Franc, Merlot
Chateau Jonqueyres
Winery: Chateau Jonqueyres
Region: Bordeaux
Sub-region: Bordeaux Superieur
Bordeaux Superieur
Built in 1685, Chateau Jonqueyres (zhankear) has been the home of the Audy family for over a century. The estate is located at the summit of a hillside in the Entre Deux Mers region, with ideal clay-limestone soil. The present owner, Anne-Marie Audy-Arcaute, a fourth generation Audy, has recently rebuilt the cellars and upgraded the cuverie with new stainless steel tanks.
Together with the longtime cellar-master Antonio Vierra, Anne-Marie produces a rich, velvety-textured wine. The grapes are harvested by hand as late as possible for optimal maturity and are meticulously sorted to remove any imperfect fruit. The fermentation and vatting process is extended to three weeks for maximum extraction of color and flavor.
Ch. Jonqueyres is matured in oak casks, one third of which are new each year. The wine is vinified so as to deliver the maximum expression of fruit with a fine balance of concentration, ripe tannins and a discreet touch of oak. In the words of Robert Parker, Chateau Jonqueyres makes “high quality wines that can compete with more famous estates.”
Categories: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
Chateau La Gatte
Winery: Chateau La Gatte
Region: Bordeaux
Sub-region: Bordeaux
La Gatte La Butte
Domaine de Montalon
Located in the appellations Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superieur, Château La Gatte was founded in 1646.
A mere 358 years later, in 2004, the estate was purchased by Hèléne and Michael Affatato. Hèléne, a Bordeaux native, came from Château Latour, where she held an executive position in Public Relations and Sales. Michael, an advertising executive turned wine afficionado, found the perfect marriage for his skills at Chapoutier, where he directed Sales and Marketing for the UK and American markets.
Now the couple have dedicated themselves exclusively to their exciting new enterprise, sharing responsibilities in the vineyard, winery, and office.
The property itself sits atop a famous limestone ridge, which is shared by some of St.-Emilion’s most noble chateaux. The west facing vines overlook the Dordogne River, and benefit from maximum sunlight. To quote Château Latour, “To make a Grand Vin, the vines must see the river.”
After tasting Château La Gatte, we think you will agree that these vines must have an amazing view.
Categories: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
Farella-Park
Winery: Farella-Park
Region: California
Sub-region: Napa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon ‘West Face’
Merlot ‘Coombsville Divide’
Sauvignon Blanc ‘La Luce’
Syrah ‘Road Block’
Farella-Park wines have been produced for over 25 years in the Coombsville area of the Napa Valley. The winemaking philosophy starts with a balanced vineyard and finishes with balanced wines – with an eye toward service with food. Production is very low with only about 1200 total cases produced.
Categories: Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah
House of Independent Producers
Winery: House of Independent Producers
Region: Washington
Sub-region: Columbia Valley
Chardonnay ‘Dionysus Vineyard’
Merlot ‘La Bourgeoisie’
Merlot ‘LLR’
The House of Independent Producers is a project aimed at showcasing some of the best vineyard sites using single vitis vinifera grape varieties. The project is directed under Christophe Hedges, who feels that some of the larger, independently owned vineyards need recognition in single vineyard wines. The House of Independent Producers is a catch-all phrase to describe the independent nature of the grower and the vintner. No advertising and no scores.
Categories: Merlot
Jeff Runquist Wines
Winery: Jeff Runquist Wines
Region: California
1448
Barbera R
Cabernet Sauvignon R
Carignane R
Grenache R
Petite Sirah R
Petit Verdot R
Syrah R
Tannat R
Zinfandel Z
Jeff travels throughout California to find just the right grapes for his vineyard designated wines. The winery produces 14 different limited production red varietals. Runquist produces balanced wines that can be enjoyed in their youth, but will also age and become more complex with time. His wines share a theme of fresh fruit reflective of the varietal flavors inherent in the grape.
Categories: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah-Shiraz, Zinfandel
L'Ecole Nº 41
Winery: L’ecole No. 41
Region: Washington
Sub-region: Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
Apogee
Perigee
Recess Red
Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla
Chardonnay Columbia Valley
Chenin Blanc ‘Walla Voila’
Merlot Columbia Valley
Merlot Seven Hills Estate
Semillon Columbia Valley
Syrah Columbia Valley
The family owned L’Ecole Nº 41 has been producing premium handcrafted varietal wines since 1983 in the historic Frenchtown School in Lowden, Washington. The wines are celebrated by the press, and compare favorably to many more expensive wines from their peers. These wines have everything going for them: top Washington fruit, impeccable winemaking, brilliant packaging, and unmatched value. One of our most popular producers.
Categories: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sémillon
Relativity Vineyards
Winery: Relativity Vineyards
Region: California
Sub-region: Negociant
Merlot
You don’t have to be a genius to drink good wine.
Categories: Merlot
Yorkville Cellars
Winery: Yorkville Cellars
Region: California
Sub-region: Mendocino
CERTIFIED ORGANICALLY GROWN WINES
Richard the Lion-Heart
Hi-Rollr Red
Petit Verdot
Merlot
Malbec
Cabernet Sauvignon
Sauvignon Blanc
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Sémillon
Rosé de Franc
Yorkville Cellars is located in Mendocino County, just 100 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The vineyards are on average 1000 feet above sea level, surrounded by other vineyards, sheep ranches and apple and peach orchards. At the bottom of the vineyard is a redwood forest which yields to the spectacular Mendocino coastline. The winery is quite small and produces fewer than 1000 cases of each varietal. No pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers are used in the production of Yorkville Cellars wines; the winery has been certified organic since 1986.
Categories: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon