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Welcome back to Merlot!
Welcome back to Merlot!
Sixteen years ago Merlot fell victim to an inadvertent smear campaign. A single line in a movie ignited such a strong cultural backlash that it caused Merlot sales to plummet. Almost overnight, hundreds of years of love and respect for the noble grape turned to aversion and disdain. The movie was “Sideways” and the line spoken by Miles, the fanatical Pinot Noir aficionado — “If anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving,” he blurts, “I am not drinking any *expletive* Merlot.” Shortly thereafter, sales of Merlot dwindled and the price of Pinot Noir skyrocketed.
Was “Sideways” the only reason Merlot suffered such an injustice? Well, probably not. In a lot of respects, Merlot suffered from its own success. In the 90s, Merlot was enjoying the pinnacle of popularity thanks to its easy-drinking quality and relative ease of production in the vineyard and winery. This eventually led to rampant overproduction and a market flooded with a ton of simple wines that were mediocre at best. What’s really interesting is that it’s entirely possible “Sideways” may have saved Merlot. Napa winemaker and owner of Frog’s Leap Cellars John Williams has often been quoted over the years with remarks lending credence to this idea. He believes a lot of poor quality Merlot disappeared from the market when vineyards were ripped out post-“Sideways” in order to replant with the newest trendy grape.
Lirac
Over the last 16 years in France however, Merlot hasn’t missed a beat– never suffering even the slightest whiff of unpopularity. For hundreds of years, Merlot has been grown all throughout France and is routinely found in some of the country’s most expensive wines. In addition to a starring role in Bordeaux, Merlot is found in a huge range of everyday wines. Today’s insider deal from Domaine Amido is another perfect example of why you need to welcome back Merlot!
I first visited Domaine Amido in 2014 with importer Charles Neal and I immediately fell in love with their wines. Their base of operation is Tavel, and while they do make a delicious Tavel Rosé, today’s focus is on their Merlot.
40 year old Merlot vines
Back in the early 1970s, Christian Amido planted a number of his Lirac vineyards with Merlot — a grape hardly seen at that time in the Côtes du Rhône, and generally frowned upon by the local regulating authorities. His Merlot was bottled and sold directly to large upscale supermarket chains in the UK, helping to quench the Brit’s ever-expanding thirst for the grape.
In the 40 years since planting, Christian’s Merlot vineyards have matured into wonderful old vine plots, producing wine with beautiful concentration and depth. They are currently tended by the next two generations of the Amido family — daughters Nathalie and Dominique along with granddaughter Amandine and her husband, winemaker Antoine Berthaud.
The family farms all of their 27 hectares in mostly organic fashion using the principles of lutte raisonée to ensure the highest quality fruit with the least intervention. Super low yields and meticulous sorting also ensure top quality in the bottle.
I’m really glad that the family has continued to produce this gem of a Merlot. I’m sure they could rip out these vines and replant with a much more profitable selection of grapes. Perhaps it’s an homage to the late Christian Amido, or perhaps the family just loves this serious, yet quaffable Merlot as much as I do!
In the glass, you’ll notice right away that this Merlot is a bit of a chameleon. The wine has an elegance of structure like Bordeaux, along with the plush and spicy fruit of the Côtes du Rhône. On the nose, you’ll be greeted with a melange of plummy red berries — especially black raspberry — leading to a super plush and lush palate bursting with rich, spicy, dark fruit. Give it a second or two on your palate, and you’ll enjoy an explosion of chocolate and mocha that lingers all through the lengthy finish.
Don’t be afraid to give this one plenty of air — Hammond and I found this one continued to get better and better with air — on day 3, it was like velvet!
Pair this jewel with any of your soups, stew, ragouts, and braises of winter; however, enjoy this as well out on the deck during these spring-like winter days.
It’s pretty much a one-shot deal on this one, so stock up while we have it. There isn’t a lot of this made and I bought up all that came into North Carolina.
Domaine Amido Merlot IGP
Lirac, France- Can't make it in? Call 828-253-0060 with your credit card number.
We'll hold your purchase in our temperature controlled cellar for pickup at your convenience
or we'll arrange for delivery.