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Anthony Gismondi: Merlot's on the rise again, so look to B.C.

Merlot is the most planted grape variety in B.C., and the overall leader in tonnage at some 5500 tons crushed annually, accounting for 16.54 per cent of all grapes.

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To Merlot or not to Merlot, that is the question — but what is the answer?

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Not all that long ago Merlot was the whipping boy of the wine industry, and still is when you speak to most gatekeepers. Overproduced and under flavoured it was infamously damned in the 2004 movie Sideways. In the months, and some might say years, that followed Merlot’s image took a battering, as did sales.

Typically, Merlot was too soft, or too simple, or too fruity, but in recent years Merlot has been making a comeback with some championing its assets as, you guessed it, soft and fruity.

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In fact, Merlot’s fame comes from wine royalty in Bordeaux, where it is a key ingredient of Bordeaux red wines and, in the case of the Right Bank of the Medoc, it is the dominate variety in the mix responsible for some of the world’s finest bottles including the likes of Petrus, Le Bon Pasteur, Le Pin, Trotanoy, Vieux Chateau Certan, and La Mondotte.

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As a varietal wine it’s also proven to be highly adaptable to international travel, with impressive bottles coming out of Italy, United States, Chile, Australia and lately, increasingly, from the Okanagan Valley.

Washington State was one of the first regions outside of Bordeaux to focus on Merlot, and there is something about Pacific Northwest Merlot that places it well above the norm. The fruit is rich and ripe most years. The tannins are mostly soft, or at least fine-grained, at the top end and the flavours come with a supercharged, spicy savoury thread. Names like Quilceda Creek, L’Ecole No. 41, Long Shadows Pedestal, Janiuk, Leonetti, Bookwalter come easily to mind.

Here in B.C. there is momentum building for Merlot from several directions, and it’s with reason.

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Merlot is the most planted variety in the province, and the overall leader in tonnage at some 5500 tons crushed annually, accounting for 16.54 per cent of all grapes. Given the wealth of Merlot in the ground, it behooves producers to make sure they get it right and, in some cases, set aspirational standards for all.

It’s easy to rave about a one-off Pinot Noir or Albariño or Grüner Veltliner or an old vine Riesling but it is Merlot consumed in substantial amounts that is setting the storyline for B.C.  red wine.

Looking back at the last three years we have experienced a sea change in quality winemaking in B.C., and an even more pronounced upgrade in viticultural practices that have been instrumental in elevating the profile of B.C. Merlot.

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A key development is the Checkmate Winery project on the Golden Mile. Winemaker Phil McGahan has produced five single-site Merlots. Opening Gambit, off the Osoyoos East Bench,  is a favourite with its savoury, Bolgheri style. Each of the wines is a study in attention to detail and at $85 a bottle, they are all aspirational.

Nearby at La Stella, wine grower and winemaker Severine Pinte is doing likewise with her stunning single vineyard LaStella Allegretto Merlot Pie Franco, planted on its own rootstock.

Perhaps the greatest potential for Merlot to soar in B.C. is in the Skaha, Naramata, Summerland area. Mid-valley temperatures are cool enough to inject an added level of acidity, yet warm enough to physiologically ripen the grapes giving the tannins a softer edge while maintaining a brighter core of red fruit flavours.

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It’s a style free from the dead fruit flavours that mar so many Washington and California labels. Top names to look at include Hillside Winery, especially the single vineyard offerings, Painted Rock, Lock and Worth and Upper Bench, with more to come.

Looking back on the last 40 years of Merlot, it is clear that popularity works in strange ways.

Having survived its time at the top of the wine game and its period at the bottom, Merlot is once again on its way back up but this time the story will be global, and we should be part of it.

Recommended from Editorial
  1. Read more from wine expert Anthony Gismondi
  2. Read more about B.C. wines
  3. Read Salut, our quarterly wine and food publication

Weekend wine picks

Township 7 Merlot 2016, Oliver, Okanagan Valley

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$24.97 | 89/100

UPC: 626990024583

The nose is savoury and spicy with notes of resin, dark chocolate and black fruit. The texture/tannin aspect continues to improve at Township 7 making it far more palatable at this stage and given the balance it should age well too. The attack is mouth-filling but supple with spicy black cherries and plums with an aromatic tobacco scented finish. Super youthful at this point, so age three to five years or served with grilled meats.

Burrowing Owl Merlot 2016, Oliver, Okanagan Valley

$30 | 91/100

UPC: 688229003165

With six months of bottle age this Merlot is just settling in for a long run. This has been an important wine for BOV from the beginning and it remains a top selling red in the wine shop. It’s always been a dense, rich, wine dating back to the days of Californian winemaker Bill Dyer. What this wine lacks in elegance it makes up for in concentration of black fruits, spice and round textures that linger throughout it’s warm, supple, savoury finish. You can drink this now with lamb or beef or wait a decade. It has the chops to go the distance.

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Corcelettes Merlot 2016, Similkameen Valley

$26.90 | 89/100

UPC: 626990231097

The 2016 vintage and the Similkameen Valley are one amazing partnership. This Merlot is all about texture and aromatics, and both are colliding at a high level. The fruit is own-rooted, (there is no foreign rootstock between the vine and the roots) allowing for maximum expression of terroir from two clones, 181 and 184, grown over rugged rocky Stemwinder soils. Harvested over multiple dates and fermented in several small lots to promote layers of flavours and complexity the fruit is uniquely savoury and black with smoky, mineral undertones and an already long, velvet finish. There is no rush to drink this wine before 2023. Impressive.

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Mission Hill Reserve Merlot 2016, Okanagan Valley

$26.99 | 90/100

UPC: 776545995117

Like the entire reserve range, this wine continues to improve while offering superb value. The “reserve” tier gets the top 15 per cent of estate fruit that goes through Mission Hill, in this case from the south Okanagan. The secret is the addition of 10 per cent Cabernet Franc. After 15 months in French and American oak, the textures are lush and fleshy, or Merlot-like. The palate is an intriguing mix of red and black fruits from plums to blackberry with a touch of savoury, medicine chest throughout. This finish is dry with a hint of bitter almonds. Think beef and black bean sauce, or spaghetti and meatballs as food pairings.

Van Westen Vineyards Vivre la Vie 2015, Okanagan Valley

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$30 | 89/100

UPC: 626990097266

Like 2014 with a bit more heat but the nose is fragrant and inviting. The attack is perfumed and spicy with violets, ripe black cherries and dark, rich, black fruit. Cassis, black plums and spice mark the mid-palate and finish with a touch of balsamic. It seems a bit soft on entry, but after that it just builds on the palate. Fun, if not complex, you can drink or hold for another 24 months.

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Recipe

Joe Beef: Surviving the Apocalypse is the second collection of recipes from the brain trust of Montreal’s iconic bistro Joe Beef. Frederic Morin and David MacMillan, and collaborator Meredith Erickson, deliver earthy, meaty comfort food with an utter disregard for your cholesterol levels. Indulge your inner bacchanalian.

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Artichokes Bravas

For the Brava sauce

3 red bell peppers

2 lbs (900 g) ripe tomatoes

Salt and pepper

1 small onion, cut into thin disks

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3 tbsp (45 mL) sherry vinegar

1 tbsp (15 mL) pickled jalapeños

1 tbsp (15 mL)  Spanish pimentón

¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

For the artichokes

Juice of 4 lemons

12 medium artichokes

1 lb (454 g) sun chokes

4 quarts (4 l) canola oil for frying

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup (250 mL) your favourite aioli recipe

2 tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Lemon wedges

Heat your grill to medium. Grill red bell peppers on all sides until well charred. Transfer to a bowl and cover for 10 minutes. Peel roughly and remove seeds. Set aside. Cut tomatoes in half. Season their open faces with salt and pepper. Grill tomatoes face side up and the grill cover down, until bottoms are charred and the faces are dry and wrinkly. Cool before chopping finely. Grill onion disks until charred, about 4 minutes per side.

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Combine red peppers, tomatoes, onion, garlic, sherry vinegar, jalapeños, and pimentón in a medium saucepan. Add oil and simmer slowly over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Transfer to a blender and purée. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the artichokes: Combine the lemon juice with 2 quarts (2 l) cold water in a large bowl. Peel off loose outer leaves of the artichokes. Trim the tops and stems. With an espresso spoon, dig into the centre of the artichokes and remove the hairy chokes. Place the artichokes in the acidulated water to avoid browning.

Heat the oil in your fryer or pot to 275˚F (135˚C). Fry artichokes in batches, until a toothpick goes through with ease. Transfer to paper towels to cool and drain. Once cool, press them down lightly until they resemble opened-up flowers. Rinse sunchokes with water and pat dry. Cut in half lengthwise. Repeat the frying procedure above.

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Increase the temperature of the oil to 365˚F (185˚C). Fry artichokes and sunchokes again until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towel. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with Brava sauce on the bottom and aioli and minced parsley on top, and lemon wedges.

Wine match

Artichokes and tomatoes can be a challenge, but a solid match is a richer, wood-aged white wine.

Perseus Select Lots Chardonnay 2017, Penticton Bench, Okanagan Valley, $28.99

Old-style rich, buttery, tropical fruit with a twang of acidity to take on the spice and sauce in this dish.

Nk’Mip Cellars Qwam Qwmt Chardonnay 2016, Okanagan Valley, $25

Rich honey, peach, vanilla nose with baked apple, toast, ripe pear with enough weight and power to stand up to this flavourful dish.

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