2007 Reininger Merlot Puts a New Slant on Sideways
A scene from Sideways
Merlot was the red wine darling of America for a number of years. Remember how we talked about the Merlot boom after the French Paradox was explained on 60 minutes? People started drinking more red wine after they learned certain properties were good for their heart. Many people reached for Merlot due to it’s smooth drinkability. After reading the 2007 Reininger Merlot tasting note, it’s easy to see why a large variety of people would be attracted to the varietal. Then the pendulum of Merlot popularity started to swing back down. Merlot started to fall out of favor as the “it” wine and was eclipsed by Pinot Noir. Though the decrease was certainly due to a convergence of factors (including the over saturation of mediocre California Merlots), many people attribute it to the movie Sideways.
The Sideways Effect
The movie Sideways came out in 2004 and quickly gained critical acclaim. To give you a brief refresher, the movie is about two guys going on a tour of Santa Barbara’s wine country. One of the main characters was a depressed writer and wine connoisseur named Miles whose main passion in life was the superiority of Pinot Noir. He goes on long-winded rants glorifying Pinot Noir and slamming Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Before entering one restaurant, he loudly proclaimed “If anyone orders any Merlot, I’m leaving…”. Throughout the movie, Miles seemed to project his own feelings of fragility and desire to be nurtured onto the similarly delicate and temperamental varietal of Pinot Noir. It’s not so much about the actual wine as it is about the metaphor of the grapes. And people identified with that, in other words, people were drawn to a wine that they thought reflected their personality.
Complex Merlot
With all the mediocre Merlot that was coming out of certain states at the time due to cutting certain corners to keep up with demand, Miles had a decent point. Some Merlots were too obvious, they were not distinctive and were, quite frankly, boring. They were easy to drink in the most mundane ways. But we know that Miles didn’t taste the 2007 Reininger Merlot, and we bet if he did, he might change his mind. We harbor suspicions that Miles was a closet Merlot lover because his cherished bottle he was saving to drink was a a 1961 Cheval-Blanc, a St-Emilion blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Order the 2007 Reininger Merlot
Wine drinkers are starting to remember why they fell in love with Merlot in the first place and are falling back in love with the varietal. Order the 2007 Reininger Merlot and see why Miles was wrong.
Comments
One Comment on 2007 Reininger Merlot Puts a New Slant on Sideways
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Steve Body on
Mon, 17th Oct 2011 7:07 am
Oy vey…been there and done that, Brother. In my retail work, there were suddenly dozens of my customers, confirmed Merlot and Cab drinkers, who suddenly just HAD TO have a Pinot. I don’t know how much money that flick brought in but its influence was astounding. And, of course, at the time, finding good, inexpensive Pinot – especially from Oregon – was unheard of, so I wound up selling a TON of Burgundy and California stuff. The effects are still with us. Today, Pinot is FAR more of a market presence than it was before “Sideways”.
I used to tell the Merlot drinkers who wanted Pinot to reconsider. Merlot is the essence of friendly and approachable – especially the Reininger and Helix – and Pinot is NOT. And the movie did pretty much kill Merlot for years. But I’m glad to see it coming back. And I’ve sold the Helix to hundreds of people who wanted to see what Washington can do with Merlot. There were a lot of wineries, back during the mid-90s Merlot boom, who tried to push the grape into something more like Cabernet. Problem is, Merlot is NOT like Cab. It’s supposed to be a medium-bodied wine and that’s what appeals so much to me about the Reininger and Helix: they’re in proper scale but deliver a huge, generous flavor profile. Thanks for the great wines, Chuck. You’ve really built a quiet but very fine reputation for excellence over the years. Best of luck down the road!
