“Merlot Madness” may be the first #MerlotThursday wine to address the elephant in the room. “Unlike the Academy Award winning film ‘Sideways,’” the label reads, “we have always loved full fruit flavour, soft tannins, and easy drinkability.”
Hey, we love all those things, too! A weekly dive into a glass of Merlot has reminded us of how freakin’ yummy this grape is–and how much pleasure it gave the world before anti-populist tastemakers tarnished its appeal.
Today’s Merlot comes from Res Fortes and critically acclaimed winemaker Moritz Bak. The peaked double “M” stenciled in red on the front of the bottle immediately signals two things: That this is a mountain wine, and that it is experimental in style.
Res Fortes’s main plantings lie on the slopes of the Pyrenees in the Roussillon region of France. In 2018, after working for prestigious brands around the world, Bak purchased some long-established vineyards to embark on a boutique organic grape-growing project.
The house style favors old vines (40-60 years), no irrigation, hands-on production techniques which can vary by vintage, and absolutely no oak for the red and white wines. (The rosé has some fractional oak-barrel aging.)
I’d previously tried the Côtes du Roussillon Blanc (Grenache Blanc/Macabeu) and Rouge (GSM blend). I found them to be intriguing bundles of herbs and earth, and good with food–if a little rustic for my taste.
This wine is medium purple and medium-bodied, with moderate acidity and soft tannins. It’s fun and easy to drink, just like the bottle promises. It’s dry, but not drying.
Aromas of blackberry, red cherry, and blueberry mingle with violets and a sprinkling of black pepper. Earthy and fruity in equal parts, it develops interesting notes of fig, grilled peppers, and Worcestershire after some time in the glass. The whole-berry fermentation lends juicy cherry flavors, which are dusted with a layer of iron, graphite, and red brick. It’s a foodie wine that can also hold its own as a solo sipper.
The Res Fortes winery’s name means (pardon my 9th-grade Latin) something like “Thing of Strength.” And, indeed this is a wine with individuality and guts.
The lack of oak is startling, even unnerving. You expect it to be there, as ever—and then it’s not. Madness, indeed. I try not to start every Merlot tasting note with “blackberry, plum, vanilla, chocolate”…but you know, it often happens. Without those descriptors on the page or in the glass, I’m temporarily adrift.
Have I ever tasted an un-oaked Merlot before? If I did, would I even recognize it as Merlot? I’m not sure. Without a hug and a kiss from the barrel, can Merlot ever truly be whole? Or is it finally liberated by modern wine-making, free to express its true self?
I shrug and order a pizza. Parmesan, black olives and salami do a sexy tango with the wine’s red fruit, smoke and herbs.
Along with the dig at “Sideways,” the label carries a reminder not to overthink your Merlot: “Super fun to make, enjoy drinking it.”
See the current vintage here.
Bottle: Res Fortes “Merlot Madness” Vine de France (2021)
Variety: Merlot (100%)
ABV: 14.2%
Suggested retail: $24
My rating: 8.4 (out of 10)
A new Merlot every week! See past #MerlotThursday reviews here.
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.
Leave a Comment