Almost all wine lovers know about the bad press the Merlot grape received when the movie Sideways came out. Paul Giamatti’s character went off on the varietal, essentially murdering it and then shooting the corpse, which he then lit on fire. It was a scathing denouncement of Merlot as vapid, unworthy wine that only cretins would drink. Of course it was just a movie, and of course his prized wine hidden under the floorboards contained a good amount of Merlot, so his character was essentially a hypocrite. Still, the movie was really a great flick, very funny and quite popular. The bad movie juju had a rather profound effect, and Merlot become an anethma in the wine world for everyday consumers. All of the sudden everyone wanted to drink Pinot Noir.
That’s too bad, as Merlot makes wonderful wine when done well. Some of the greatest wines in the world are Merlot, or contain significant amounts of it in blends. The Right Bank of Bordeaux is primarily Merlot, and includes names like Petrus and Le Pin, as well as the Cheval Blanc chateau that made the wine under the floorboards. In Italy, Masseto is a cult wine, known throughout the world. It goes on and on. Regardless of all that, the stigma planted on Merlot from Sideways took a decade or more to wear off. Momentum changes slowly in the wine world, and producers who ripped up Merlot vines can’t suddenly turn them back on. However, today things have sort of righted themselves back to normalcy. Below is an example of why.
Wine: 2021 Emmolo Merlot
Winery Location: Napa Valley, California
Tasted By: Neil & Cheri Date: April 2024
Tasting Notes: This juice is a dark, purple red in color. The nose carries rich black fruit, plums and berries. It is full bodied with medium+ tannins, and some cherry joins on the palate. Overall it is typical for this wine, rich and full. Jenny Wagner is the winemaker, and her stated goal is to create a wine that is “luxurious, dark and balanced”. We would say she has succeeded.
Price Point – SRP is around $60, but you should be able to find it for less.
Would We Buy It? – Yes. If you shop around you can probably find it close to $50, maybe a little under. It’s a rich and full bodied Merlot with great fruit.
People who like big red wine will like this.
A votre santé!
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