Tonight, we are tasting two Merlots from different price points.

The movie Sideways came out in 2004, and is now over 20 years old. When the movie was released, Merlot was the number #1 wine in the US, at about 15% of the total market. Greater than Cabernet Sauvignon at around 12%. By December of 2006, Merlot's market share was down to 12%, and by 2014 it was down further to 9%.

California Merlot production also saw a huge reduction, going from 305,000 tons in 2000 to 220,000 tons in 2019.

Merlot production in California’s (Napa/Sonoma) regions dropped 55-60% between 2000 and 2019, and new plantings of Merlot in California as a whole declined 35% from 2004 and 2023.

But is Merlot set to rebound? It is still the top wine choice for Millennials in a 2016 survey. Merlot is still the most planted grape in Bordeaux. East Coast wine production is taking off, and Merlot is the number 1 grape in many of these areas.

Tonight, we are tasting:

2023 Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve Merlot. I purchased the wine from Trader Joe’s for $14.99. It comes from Napa Valley. It has 14.8% alcohol. The Reverse Wine Snob says aromas of dark fruit, lots of cedar, and other notes of barrel aging, such as a little spice. It gives it a recommended buy.
2021 Markham Napa Valley Vineyards Merlot. I purchased the wine from Wall to Wall Wine for $29.00. It has 14.5% alcohol. The Wine Enthusiast, which scored it a 90, says, Juicy palate of cherries and plums drizzled through with chocolate and violet candy accented by fresh herbs.

As usual, we blind-tasted the wines. Many times we find wines of various price ranges have only minor differences. That was not the case tonight. These wines are very different, especially in flavor. While I found the Trader Joe's wine to have a pleasant aroma, I found the taste simple and lacking substance. It had notes of fruit, spice, and herbs; but was overall a light taste and had a quick finish. Also, for having such light flavors, the tannins were pronounced. Denise scored this wine a 2, and I put it at a 3.

The Markum was vastly different. It had a wonderful warm aroma full of berries, vanilla, and spice. The flavor was packed with berries, vanilla, spice, and chocolate. Smooth tannins and had a nice finish. Denise really liked this one but stayed at a 3. I really enjoyed it and gave it a strong 4.

Scoring: 1-won't drink; 2-won't buy again; 3-nice drinkable wine; 4-buy again; 5-won't share

Next week, we are going to learn about and taste our first Pet-Nat.