Gundlach Bundschu Pinot Noir 2005

Gundlach Bundschu (G-B)  is old.  Don’t get me wrong: it isn’t old like, say, Haut-Brion, but it’s about as old as it gets on this side of the pond.  Purchased in the 1850’s, the family’s Rhinefarm property has been churning out pretty solid fruit ever since.  Known for it’s Bordeaux varietals, G-B nevertheless offers a surprisingly diverse array of other varietals, including the ever-present pinot noir.

Located at the foot of Arrowhead mountain, the Rhinefarm vineyard offers cool temperatures and an abundance of loamy, clay soil: a solid foundation for pinot noir. In the glass the wine has an earthy, garnet hue. Warm, ripe, red fruit aromas are balanced by a leafy earthiness. The relatively cool temperatures of the Rhinefarm, however, allow for a much more evenly balanced profile than the weighty juiciness of the nose suggests. A slightly sour palate of bright raspberry is offset against a delicately-expressed woodiness. Solidly structured and possessed of a driving acidity, this is the rare California pinot that doesn’t fall flat on it’s face when paired with a meal.

At $35, this wine doesn’t come super-cheap. That being said, it actually offers a pretty fair value when viewed against the plethora of over-priced, post-Sideways pinots. Moreover, the guys from G-B have always been pretty cool. The Sonoma Valley stalwarts once hijacked Richard Branson’s bus while he was touring Napa wineries. That bit of awesomeness is worth the price of admission all on its own.

J.

Tags: California, Gundlach Bundschu, pinot noir, rhinefarm, richard branson, sonoma valley
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Merlot: The Redheaded Stepchild

Poor, poor Merlot… 5 years ago, the movie Sideways took a fairly arbitrary stance against the noble grape (remember: Paul Giamatti hamming it up, screeching - literally screeching - about “not drinking any effing Merlot”). In the years since, Merlot’s garnered a reputation for being flabby, watered down, mass-produced… and Pinot Noir’s reputation, Giamatti’s obsession in the movie, skyrocketed. In 2009, we’re still feeling the cultural reverberation. The price of Pinot Noir has shot through the roof and Merlot racks collect dust in the dankest corner of wine stores.

Is it fair? Nope. Before the movie, it’s true, Merlot had been the casual drinker’s go-to for years and years, causing the larger production companies to churn out slop to meet demand. And that slop really wasn’t that great. Still isn’t that great. But, Merlot’s been around a long, long time (Bordeaux, anyone?) and it’s unfair to assume that all Merlot is created equal. If the cheap swill is still cheap swill, the finely crafted Merlots are still finely crafted Merlots.

And the world of critics is finally catching up. One would think being a wine critic implies a certain lack of bias and an open mind, but… well, the critics have been equally unfair. Until now. A few weeks back, Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, who write the Wall Street Journal’s immensely respected tasting column, blind tasted fifty bottles of Merlot. Reportedly, they entered with dread, but left pleasantly surprised. Yup. The bottles that surprised them included a bottle each of Charles Krug, Ravenswood, Simi… So, maybe we can expect a little more respect for Merlot in the future.

Here at dT, we’re not even close to surprised, pleasantly or otherwise. We’ve been drinking Merlot all along. If you want to check out some cool bottles, try the Wildhurst merlot, which goes for $15.99. Want to check out what we think about it? Read Jeff’s rant on it in our wine review section, Don’t Worry, I’ll Drink It For You.

Don’t pay attention to the media. Pay attention to your palette. And if there isn’t a single Merlot that you don’t like, don’t drink Merlot. But give it a chance. That’s all I ask.

dJp

Tags: merlot, paul giamatti, pinot noir, sideways, wall street journal
Category: The Wine Blog | Comments (0)