For this #MerlotThursday, I’m diving into a bottle of deep red Washington Merlot from Chateau Ste. Michelle. This 2019 estate bottling comes from the Canoe Ridge vineyard of Horse Heaven Hills.
In keeping with the spirit of the exercise of Merlot appreciation, I was poking all over The Wine Authority‘s shelves for an example of 100% Merlot. Or as near as I could get. “We don’t get a lot of requests for Merlot,” the shop attendant tells me, unsurprisingly. Weighing in at 95% (with 5% Cabernet Sauvignon in the mix), I think the referees will agree that this bottle is close enough.
It pours up a deep, saturated purple-red, with glints of magenta in natural light. First sniff is camphorous and fresh. After it blows off, it’s classic Washington Merlot: Intense blackberry, black cherry, and bruised black plum tinged with vanilla. Mocha mousse, wet tilled garden soil, and sour coffee grounds. Blackberry leaf and polite but assertive green bell pepper. The fruit subsides after a while to earthy, hardware-store aromas of milled cedarwood and red brick dust.
The nose is pretty exceptional on this wine, so I fill my glass and just drink it with my schnoz for 15 or 20 minutes. When I do finally get around to taking a sip, my expectations are perilously high.
It tastes…enjoyable. Fruity, balanced. Chalky, tongue-coating texture and aftertaste of cedar and pressed cherry skins. Smooth tannins and thick dark fruit conceal stealthy alcohol at 14.8%. The medium-plus body is uneven…and jarring, given the rich aromas. If I smell chocolate in my glass, I want to feel it–all the way down my gullet. Like a mug of hot cocoa, this starts out full and frothy and ends thin and silty, like the last sip of hot milk tea.
I’m certain this is the wrong sentiment for #MerlotThursday…but I caught myself wishing I could pick the Cab Sauv out of this blend and enjoy it separately, the same way you might choose to eat all your favorite flavor of jelly beans first. I want to find a little more acidity, a few more vegetables, a dash of some untraceable spice…something less stereotypically delicious than perfectly ripe berries, vanilla, and cocoa.
#MerlotThursday calls upon each wine lover to ask himself or herself, “Am I prejudiced against Merlot? Have I been missing out on one of the world’s great grapes because of a throwaway line in an old (but admittedly still pretty good) road trip movie?”
I certainly don’t think that I am a Merlot hater! I have been uncorking Right Bank value Bordeaux like crazy lately and loving them. But I do find that Merlot-dominant blends can sometimes be murky and flat. This wine, despite its aromatic beauty, doesn’t quite escape that fate.
This Merlot is well-made, it’s characteristic–and someone else might taste it and admiringly call it “soft” or “smooth.” It’s tomato-tomahto, I guess. All I’m saying is that I prefer a little more lift on the back end.
The Canoe Ridge vineyard was planted in 1991, which means these vines were just coming into their maturity when Paul Giamatti reportedly assassinated Merlot in 2004. (I say “reportedly” because when that movie came out I was still chugging Franzia Chillable Red in a dorm room. I doubt I could name a black grape at that time…I certainly was not paying any attention to what wine connoisseurs thought about all the different ones.)
Canoe Ridge occupies a patch of steep slopes above the Columbia River, where it benefits from altitudes of up to 950 feet and the valley’s strong, cooling winds. The cold winters and absence of grafting in Washington State contribute to the longevity of the vines.
These mature Merlot vines, combined with 2019’s mild weather and long growing season, are able to produce concentrated wines with both ripeness and elegance. This 2019 is still drinking extremely fresh, with massive black fruit and vibrant color. Aged for 16 months in 44% new French oak, and 56% neutral French oak.
Bottle: Chateau Ste. Michelle Canoe Ridge Merlot (2019)
Variety: Merlot (95%), Cabernet Sauvignon (5%)
ABV: 14.8%
Suggested retail: $33.99
My rating: 8.5 (out of 10)
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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