1997 California Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Pairs

Tom's house in Palo Alto, California
Tasted Thursday, May 31, 2012 by europat55 with 647 views

Introduction

Notes from the event organizer:

In today's cult Cabernet world, Merlot sometimes comes across as the invisible sidekick of its bigger brother varietal, often relegated only to a blending role to slightly soften the Cabernet, with some Merlot perhaps released as a separate bottling if there is extra in a particular vintage. This is so different from the 1980s and 1990s, when Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon shared starring roles on the center stage and often equivalent pricing. Merlot's decline wasn't helped by Miles in the movie Sideways, when he famously said "I don't drink no stinking Merlot" early in the plot (while ironically drinking a Merlot-dominated Chateau Cheval Blanc in a defining moment later).

Merlot's current position in the California wine world is largely unjustified. Cultivated properly and harvested at low yields, Merlot can produce world class wines, as many of the East Bank first and second growth Bordeaux have proven for a couple centuries. And they can age as well as Cabs -- in our retrospective tastings of older Cabernets from 1984, 1985 and 1986, the Merlots have done surprisingly (sometimes shockingly) well, beating out much more famous Cabernets and Bordeaux.

Tonight, we'll do a more direct comparison. We'll have pairs of Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots from four wineries that specialize in both: Lewis, Newton, Beringer and Swanson. All pairs are from 1997, an outstanding vintage for both varietals. As these wines reach their 15th anniversary, they should be nearing their peak.

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Flight 1 (9 Notes)

Closing

I don't have a lot of experience with aged Merlots, so I had a very hard time discerning the Cabs vs. Merlots in this line-up tonight.

I ranked the Merlots in 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th position in the line-up today.

The Merlots were ranked 2nd, 3rd, 5th & 9th by the group.

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