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