I am absolutely irked about something I discovered in the recent issue of the Wine Spectator. As is the custom for this magazine, at the end of each year they give their interpretation of the “Top 100" wines for the year. I am a fan of the Spectator, and have the greatest respect for their work. I love to go over the list carefully and then go over the tasting notes at the very back of the issue. This is a big part of my palate training.
Before I go into a little tirade I do want to mention that the choice of Seghesio as number ten on the list with a score of 93 is absolutely right on. If you can get your hands on any of this before it is gone, do so as soon as possible. It is a stunning wine and is only about $23.00. It is great now and should lay down for a couple of years. I am a big Zin fan and this is one of my favorites.
The one thing that bugged me the most is the absence of Merlot from the list. I do realize that a couple of the Bordeaux’s mentioned were from the Right Bank so of course were predominantly Merlot. However, I find it hard to believe that not one Merlot from California, Washington or anywhere else was not worthy of making the list. If you are not aware of this, the popular movie Sideways from a number of years ago slammed Merlot and gave high praises to Pinot Noir. Since that movie, Pinot Noir sales have soared, and Merlot sales have suffered a dramatic decline. The power that Hollywood has on peoples minds never ceases to amaze me. But let’s face the facts. IT IS JUST A MOVIE.......!!!!!! Maybe we also believe that someday we will run into God mopping floors in a building and He is going to give us his powers so we can see what it is like to be Him. Remember Bruce Almighty. There were good Pinot Noir and Merlot wines long before the movie Sideways hit the screen. If you are at all familiar with the wines made by Petrus you will know that these wines from the right bank of Bordeaux are in most cases 100% Merlot. A bottle of Petrus can easily sale for $700.00. Aside from this example, there are many fabulous bottles of Merlot from both California and Washington. Many of the great blends that are so popular are predominantly Merlot based. This being said, it is safe to say that the statement about Merlot in the movie Sideways was absolutely ignorant.
The movie was basically about a neurotic wine snob. A regular wine snob is bad enough let alone a neurotic one. The script was written in such a way to make his view of wine humorous not factual. That being said, I am beginning to think that the writers of the Spectator have themselves succumbed to the influence of Hollywood. They will not admit this but the evidence is overwhelming. I say this because not only was merlot omitted from the Top 100, it was also absent from their list of “ Great Values of 2008". In this list one can find the Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon Horse Heaven Hills H3 2005. I will admit that this wine is a great value. For the same price you can get their H3 Merlot which is equally as good as the cab, if not a touch better. Why was it left off the list?
I have the greatest admiration for the staff of the Wine Spectator. They have a big job and they do it well. I do not always agree with their scores, but that is what the wine world is all about; individuality. I just find it extremely hard to believe that they did not run across one Merlot that passed all the criteria for either being in the “Top 100" or a “Great Value”. The wine world is definitely influenced by trends. It is our job as wine critics to avoid those trends and continue to promote wines that fit into the category of either great values...... (Price to Quality) or simply great wines that are not priced out of this universe and are available to most of the public. This year the “Top 100" wines of 2008 in the Wine Spectator was just a little to trendy for me. I will give you a couple of examples to show what I mean.
Three Gruner Veltliner wines in the top 100...... A very trendy wine right now. I love Gruner myself, but three on the list and not one merlot. Get real.
Three Malbec wines on the list. We all know how trendy Malbec is right now, everybody loves Malbec including myself. Great wine, but three of those and not one Merlot?
Riesling has seen a recent upswing in popularity and attention from the press. As a result are we surprised that five, count it, 5 Riesling made it in the top 100 list. I’m sorry, but five Riesling and not one Merlot. Do you see my point?
So my suggestion to you is to take the list for what it is worth, stay true to your own palate and do not let trends or Hollywood influence your taste. That is my opinion, take it for what it is worth. Just trying to keep wine real. Stan
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Tuesday, December 23
NO MERLOT!
by
Brazenly Lucid
on Tue 23 Dec 2008 08:36 AM PST
Sunday, December 7
TRAIN YOUR PALATE KNOWLEDGE
by
Brazenly Lucid
on Sun 07 Dec 2008 09:34 AM PST
One only has to surf the web for a few minutes to be exposed to the plethora of wine consultants, critics and hobbyist out there, myself included. Some of us have no doubt found a favorite site that we trust and go to in order to see what is out there in the wine world, what is going on and to get help in understanding aspects of this exciting field. Like myself, many go to a site to get information on a specific wine and hope to make a decision on whether to purchase it or not. Let’s face it; if the bottle you are seeking is six dollars or fifty dollars you want to know if your money is going to be well spent! Another reason I read wine critics and surf the web is to expand my palate knowledge. What do I mean? I write an absolute ton of wine descriptions for the store I work at and for my web-site. When tasting a wine, your palate becomes acutely aware of certain flavors and feelings about the wine. How do you identify and describe what you are tasting? I call this palate knowledge. The verbiage from one analyst to another can be strikingly different. There are however some common threads such as currant, boysenberry, cherry, wood, anise, etc. The trick is who do you trust. Who will lead you down the right path a majority of the time? Who has a consistent palate? This is a tricky area because when you find the right person, it can save you a lot of time and money. Personally my hope is that wine lovers out there trust my observations and insights, know what I like and can make a decision based on this knowledge. Ultimately it is your palate that matters and if you do not like what I like then do not buy it. If I do not like it, then maybe you should give it a shot. That being said there are a few sources out there that I go to consistently to get help in training my palate and making purchasing decisions. First of all, a shout out to a good friend of mine Ted Seifert. His palate is excellent and trustworthy. He takes the time to understand what his customers like, myself included. He rarely leads me astray. The Wine Spectator is a fantastic source of information with excellent tasting notes. The Wine Advocate is also a top-notch reference for wine knowledge and palate training. Number One on my list however and I am excited about this knew source that I have recently discovered is Gary Vaynerchuk of www.winelibrarytv.com . Gary Vaynerchuk has trained his palate very well and has learned how to convey his thoughts on a wine in an understandable and concise manner. He has a ton of energy, is very enthusiastic about wine and can be extremely funny. One thing, and this is what I like about the guy; he is not a wine snob. He approaches the subject the same way I do. It does not matter what he thinks about the wine, it matters what you think about it. His descriptions give you a good basis for making a decision. He makes it very clear what he likes and dislikes about a wine and he tries to understand what the majority of his audience likes based on feedback that he gets. Gary will have guests on his program including wine makers and other individuals deeply involved in the wine world. Different episodes include blind tasting, food and wine pairing and during the football season, a lot of commentary about the New York Jets. Check out this website and you might make it #2 on your list under Brazenly Lucid Wines. ( Go Colts!) Another fine way to train your palate knowledge is to be a part of the tasting events held at the Grange Hall. If you want to take part in these tasting events let me know by sending your e-mail address to stan@blucid.com or by calling Kings Market (360) 378-4505 ext. 1 and ask for Stan.This is to all those out there who are working to keep the wine world real! Stan |
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