The Epicenter of Merlot – Going Back to My Red Wine Drinking Roots

The Epicenter of Merlot – Going Back to My Red Wine Roots

It was many, many years ago… decades actually, when I first appreciated Merlot. Up until that point, I was mostly a white wine drinker with the reds that I drank from American appellations. To me, Ihe reds just tasted harsh and a bit alcoholic.

Then, I went to a dinner at a colleague’s house where another friend brought at bottle of a red wine, a Merlot blend from the Bordeaux Right Bank region of Saint-Émilion. I sheepishly agreed to try it, and you know what, it was rather enjoyable. You could even call the experience an epiphany. Actually, the wine was beyond my expectations with lots of color, suppleness and spice, including fruity aromas of red and black fruits. As I recall, plums, raspberries and under pinnings of wet earth and pleasantly firm tannins.

Recently, my wife and I dined at Atlanta’s Bone’s, a well recommended steak and seafood restaurant. Like I often do, I ordered a mixed grill this one with a beef filet, lamb chops and pheasant sausage.

After searching the wine list (a very modern display on a iPad-like device where my selection went automatically to my order), my eyes locked on a Merlot that got my interest. It was a Chateau Lasségue Les Cadrans Grand Cru 2022 from the Côte de Saint-Émilion where the property is run as a partnership between the longtime owners, the Seillan family, and since 2003 American Jackson Family Wines.

In keeping with my memories of my first pleasurable Saint-Émilion experience, this wine constructed of primarily Merlot followed by Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon featured elegant yet powerful, mineral-driven red and black fruit with notes of spice, licorice, and fresh herbs encouraged by the vineyard’s clay-limestone soils, warm summer weather and cool north winds.

As I basked in the enjoyment of this Merlot-base wine I had a feeling of regret for all the unnecessary pain the movie Sideways (I will not link to it) caused wineries in terms of lost sales in the commercial market for Merlot. Hopefully, much of this is in the past now and new wine drinkers can approach this wine without having sat through this movie.