20 years after SIDEWAYS - Drinking F*ing MERLOT?!
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- Опубліковано 26 січ 2025
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I am not drinking any Fing Merlot
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I use this wine key: Forge de Laguiole Ebony
I have used the following glass in this video: -
I have tasted the following wines in this Video:
2019 Golan Heights Winery Yarden Merlot, Galilee, Israel
www.wine-searc...
2019 Moulin du Cadet, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France
www.wine-searc...
2021 Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot, Napa Valley, USA
www.wine-searc...
2019 Barone Ricasoli Castello di Brolio `Caselferro` Toscana IGT, Tuscany, Italy
www.wine-searc...
2021 Kellerei-Cantina Andrian Gant Merlot Riserva Alto Aldige, Trentino-Alto Aldige, Italy
www.wine-searc...
2012 Charles Smith K Vintners Northridge Vineyard Merlot, Wahluke Slope, USA
www.wine-searc...
The 100 Point Scoring System (from www.robertparker.com):
96-100: An extraordinary wine of profound and complex character displaying all the attributes expected of a classic wine of its variety. Wines of this caliber are worth a special effort to find, purchase and consume.
90 - 95: An outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character. In short, these are terrific wines.
80 - 89: A barely above average to very good wine displaying various degrees of finesse and flavor as well as character with no noticeable flaws.
70 - 79: An average wine with little distinction except that it is soundly made. In essence, a straightforward, innocuous wine.
60 - 69: A below-average wine containing noticeable deficiencies, such as excessive acidity and/or tannin, an absence of flavor or possibly dirty aromas or flavors.
50 - 59: A wine deemed to be unacceptable.
Merlot - is it the worst grape variety in the world? If you listen to some wine experts you might think that. Merlot bashing was almost as popular as Chardonnay bashing when both grape varieties experienced great success in the early noughties.
Chardonnay is still going strong while Merlot suffered a unique decline.
I mean tastes change and grape varieties fall out of favor - that is not uncommon - but Merlot’s fortune turned when a movie was released exactly 20 years ago.
The movie was called Sideways and for the 20th anniversary if you want to check whether it is time to revisit Merlot.
I know, I have talked about Sideways a few times but I recently bought the book the movie is based on and realized that the probably most famous wine-related movie scene ever. Does not even appear in it. I mean the main character Miles talks a LOT about how great Pinot is in the book and he also makes it clear that he isn’t a big fan of Merlot.
But the famous line from the movie originally was “They’re not going to order Merlot. They’re way too hip for that. And if they do, I am splitting.” In the book. This might be one good explanation for why the film grossed more than 100 million USD worldwide, while I only bought the book recently to hold it into the camera.
Regardless, the story had a strong impact on the US wine market and caused a drastic decline in interest in Merlot, while boosting Pinots image.
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I'm so glad you pointed out the fact that that character's favorite prized wine in that movie is mostly Merlot based! A lot of people miss that!
Yeah, because the character doesn't actually hate merlot. He hates his ex-wife, and his ex-wife loves merlot.
As a sommelier from Cahors in the SouthWest, Merlot has strong links to our Cahors wine, in our traditional blends. It soften the strong malbec tannins, and never fails to add almond, chocolate and mocha flavors to our aged wines. It deserves a great honor
Le Cèdre 😍
Nice. I used to drink a lot of Melot, then moved on to Zinfandel, now mostly Pinot. That said, I have never let anyone influence what I am supposed to like. I will say that I have not been able to acquire a taste for white wine. I really love your videos and enjoy learning so much about wine. Thank you.
So you like chocolate, but not peanut butter? That is a shame. Silver lining, there is a whole world waiting to be discovered, when you're ready.
Note that Wahluke Slope AVA is actually outside the Walla Walla AVA (where K Vintners does their winemaking), in Yakima Valley. Agreed that there's a bunch of _great_ merlot in the state, glad that you got to try some!
A deleted scene in the movie was when he talked about his exes, favorite wine, Merlot, and why he has that bottle.
It’s also the reason he doesn’t like drink Merlot anymore.
Who the heck decides what wine NOT to drink based upon a fictional character's opinion in a movie? Drink what you like....
Amen!
Americans
most people are sheep easily influenced. didnt you learn that during the plandemic?
It is crazy how many people think that movies and especially so called “reality tv” is real.
Fictional characters have gotten me to try certain foods and drinks but not to avoid them, as far as I can remember.
After Sideways, a counter-movie has been released, with the title “Merlove”. Quite fun to watch. I read the Sideways book first, some time before the movie came out. And I liked the book more than the movie. We have quite some decent Merlot in the south of Switzerland, in Ticino. Cheers, Ernst
Petrus, Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Masseto. All wines with significant amounts of Merlot, quite pricey and renowned.
Yeah, and the wine Miles coveted was Cheval Blanc.
Petrus is 100% merlot, as is le Pin, which, like Petrus, retails in the thousands of dollars a bottle.
@@williamgechtman9287Masseto too
Interesting fact: most of the most iconic Brazilian wines are 100% Merlot or Merlot-dominant blends, and I am proud to say we have been producing for over 30 years now some trully world class bottles of this varietal. Unfortunatelly, not many people have ever tasted the real good stuff coming out of Brazil. I would go so far as to say that Brazil produces the best Merlots in South America (bold statement, I know), something that I am confident a person that actually knows the Brazilian wine scene and has tasted the best Merlots from our neighbors would agree with. I highly reccomend any of the iconic and complex Pizzato DNA 99 vintages for anyone who wants to be properly introduced to the great Brazilian Wines. I believe this could change in around 15 to 20 years, when we will be producing some of the best new world Syrahs in the mountains of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, new terroirs that have been using the winter harvest strategy to produce rich, elegant, concentrated and fresh expressions of Syrah for the past 10 years, with trully amazing results. My suggestion is the simply delicious Guaspari's "Vale da Pedra", from the countryside of São Paulo, which I think is the best pure expression of Syrah in the country.
I don't a favorite merlot, but, it was a merlot that was my Aha wine. A wine that tasted better than the typical fermented grapes I'd had to that point, which all tasted okay, but not great.
That wine was a Sterling Three Palms merlot. We visited the winery and opted to pay extra to taste some of their librady wines. When we tried the Three Palms merlot, my wife and I were impressed. It was more than a bunch of sour grape juice. We bought a few, including one for our host.
Fantastic video! Please continue to inspire us with your wonderful content. As for Merlot, I've already placed my order! Thanks for the advice!
Another great video! Thank you for delving into the dark and intense world of merlot. I will definitely be paying more attention to merlot in the future. Thanks.
“Are you chewing gum??”
Ha! One of many great moments in the film. I've watched it maybe 20 times and probably will watch it another 20.
Love me some Merlot! 🍷
Thank you for re-establishing Merlot as an elite grape variety. Its velvetiness cannot be found in other varieties and it's so elegant when properly done. I would like your opinion on Masseto. Living in Switzerland, I sometimes drink Merlot from Ticino, which is good but in my opinion lacks body. My favourite Merlot-based wine so far was a Chateau Cadet-Bon 2014 from Saint Emilion, with 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc.
Yet another great video. Although I'm trying a lot different grape varieties, I always return to Merlot based wines, mostly Saint-Emilion. Some wines that I like:
Chateau Faugères - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé (70 % Merlot, 21 CS, 9% CF) - Tasted the 1994 in 2022 and still very good.
Château Sansonnet - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru (95% Merlot with CS and CF) - same producer as Moulin du Cadet
Château Les Gravières and Château Lynsolence, both Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, 100 % Merlot and from the same producer
Château Mangot - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé - The last years they use more CS since they use grapes from older CS vines because the production of the top cuvée Mangot Todeschini.
Mangot 2022: Merlot 65%, Cabernet Franc 30%, Cabernet Sauvignon 5%
Château Godeau - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru - Tasted the 1996 in 2023, still ok but more evolution than Ch Faugères.
I read a lot about Duckhorn Three Palms Merlot. Back in 2022 I visited Napa and did a tasting at Duckhorn. It was the best of all the offerings at the tasting. It was also the best Merlot I ever tasted. It’s pricy ($140.00usd) but worth it!
Awesome to see a Washington wine get such a high rating! Washington produces some really excellent and underrated wines in a beautiful region of the state.
We moved from Washington State 6 years ago to Southern Oregon. We still love to visit Seattle for the numerous tasting rooms. That said down here in Southern Oregon we’re producing some pretty amazing wines.
@@robertjames-life4768 I just brought a drouhin Dundee hills. Pinot today. Luv oregan pinots
@@jimbenham1638lol, we hear that quite a bit but we’re almost 5 hours south of the Willamette. Our latitude is closer to that of Tuscany. We’re in the Rogue Valley AVA. Cooler winters with warmer, drier summers. Plus we have nice, rich volcanic soil.
I haven't seen the movie in a while. But I was just reading a discussion about it recently, and I think Miles didn't want to drink Merlot because it reminded him of his ex-wife, as they used to drink Merlot together. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy that taste of Merlot. So I don't think it was an oversight by him, or the film markers, that the drinks the Merlot blend out of the plastic cup. Anyone who's seen the movie recently can correct me if I'm wrong.
You are correct.
A lot of lousy Merlot has been made (an easy grape?), but then I’ve had many lousy Pinot too. A good Merlot is very good.
Again, my sincere condolences to you and all your family on the loss of your dad, Konstantin.
Films notwithstanding, the dip in the popularity of Merlot in the 90s and after may be due in part to the decline in the value for money of some expressions, certainly here in UK, of the grape under advisement. Many new world Merlot or Merlot led blend wines held thier own at this time, leading to a surge in the popularity, for dinner parties, of wines like Isla Negra, which has in my view now tailed off a bit. In UK, the cheapest wine is £4.50, entry level drinkable & 6.00 and for the people celebrating thier wedding anniversary, there are wines in THIS TASTING which would not be unreasonable to expect to taste. Merlot is reliable in the lower price brackets and this it shares with Chardonnay on the white side.
Many supermarkets will give you a drinkable Merlot, perhaps an Australian blend, own brand around the £6.00 mark.
I was interested to note the presence, in the Italian dept, of strawberry notes coupled with pepper, as I have had Italian Merlot which seemed very complete or wide in structure, not too expensive, whilst being pure Merlot and not really requiring the presence of Cabernet.. I DO like (of necessity I'm afraid) a bargain.
Great to see you back in the driving seat, and, as we say here in London, chin chin old chap. 🍷🍷✨🌟👍
❤
I just love you, the video just pops when I'm drinking, eating or both!
It would be nice for a video of Argentine Wine, tasting Chardonnay, Torrontés, Pinot Noir, Bonarda, Cabernet Franc and Malbec.
I have plenty of Palestinian wines. They are great. Cabarnet is my favorite
Thanks for this fun video! Missed your videos though understand that life throws us a lot of things. Time to drink some effing merlot!!
The ’61 Cheval Blanc was a metaphor in the movie for Virginia Madsen born in 1961. A blend of cab franc which miles called average a grape variety and merlot, which he despises. Together they make a great wine!
For me here in the US, I was aware of the Sideways remarks but didn’t like Merlot much before that. Understand I didn’t hate it, just the US Merlots I’d had were fairly tasteless.
But in the last 5 years I’ve run into a couple Merlots that I thought spectacular, one from the Finger Lakes of New York.
The issue in the US may have been we just weren’t making great Merlots.
We had the joy of visiting Walla Walla Washington, from Australia, on a driving holiday. The town has a great name , sounding Australian Aboriginal. We were there right at the time of vintage in September 2012, the same vintage as the wine reviewed. I recall it was very warm at the time of vintage and there had been a long drought, as well bush fires all around the region. I’m not surprised that a big wine, with high alcohol, was produced from that vintage. We tried the grapes and they were very sweet and juicy. It certainly is a great thrill to visit wine regions throughout the world. Life is good.
Regarding merlot's ability to age, I put down a few bottles from Paloma and Pride Mountain Vineyards on release from the 1997, 1999, and 2001 vintages (Napa, Napa/Sonoma). I opened up the last bottles within the past couple years, and they were delicious! I've also had my share of mediocre Merlot, but not these.
if anyone has ever had a wine from pomerol they would know that merlot can be outstanding.
I like Merlot in a blend, not as much by itself.
Wine fashion is one of my biggest bugbears. A great wine is still great no matter what grape variety it is made from.
I love Merlot, im into Pomerol and Saint Emilion. My number one is Cheval Blanc, epic wine.
That's wild how that scene had such an effect on the grape.
I love my Pomerol!
I look forward to the era of widespread Riesling bashing.
I find dry Riesling to be the most consistent white wines. Just my opinion.
Given that Riesling can taste wildly different, depending on how its made, I don't see that happening. Maybe we'll have "dry Riesling bashing" one day, but then people will buy the sweet and off-dry ones instead ; D
I love Merlot. In a blend, single variety, but that has to be the first time I’ve heard grapefruit as a descriptor, how cool is that! Thank you.
Super enjoyable channel Konstantin.
My favourite Merlot are Il Blu from Brancaia, La Ricolma from San Giusto a Rentennano and Carpe Vesperum from La Madonnina
Thanks Konstantin, it was worth the wait, another exciting episode! Sorry, I don't want to advertise, but the last reasonably priced Merlot that convinced me was Casa Emma 2019 Soloio, bought from Baum Selection.
People are mad - Drink what you like, not what is fancy.
I rarely drink 100% Merlot. But quite a few wines from St.Emilion and Pomerol which are mostly a blend of Merlot, Cab Franc and sometimes Cab. Sauv.
The only thing that’s ever made me wonder whether Merlot might not be not so good was the brief fad of making white Merlot, like white Zinfandel only using Merlot instead.
I drank a very elegant Napa merlot a few weeks ago, perfect with steak.
What glass are you using today? Not in the description
Loved Sideways but yeah the ‘fk Merlot’ line never made sense given his pride in owning a bottle of Chateau Cheval Blanc! Made me laugh.
I find the Merlot coming from Bordeaux is exceptional. I'd like to give a special mention to Moulin D'Issan of Chateau D'Issan. It is 90% Merlot and 10% Cab Sav, retails for around 25 euros and beats many wines double or triple its price. In general the 2nd and 3rd wines of the major Bordeaux producers often offer great value.
Merlot I like for that cherry taste. I had not so much Merlot wines at all, but 4 of them were very very nice:
1) Canadian (!!!) Pillitteri Estates Cabernet-Merlot (Meritage) (not actually mono-Merlot but anyway) 2014. It is so mature, bright, full of aromas and taste! Very very nice and price is affordable
2) There was actually from Russian Myskhako winery wine (Myskhako is big one in Russia, one of their Top wineries) - rare Grand Reserve Merlot 2013. It was a limited issue, and it was great. Powerful and tasty.
3) From huge US winery - Wente Vineyards Sandstone Merlot 2020 (from Central Coast of California) - aromatic, tasty, with a lot of berries, cherries. It could be better, but aftertaste was pretty short.
4) Also Swiss Roccolo Merlot 2016 from Ticino was also a nice example - quite berry, easy drinking and balanced.
Petrolo Galatrona people......seek that one out. Thank me later
Great tasting. I unabashedly love Merlot. It's my go-to grape.
I've recently tasted a lot of South American Merlots, and had lots of fun with that. My favorite one was Garzón's 2017 Single Vineyard Merlot, and my description of it was very similar to your description of the Alto Adige wine. Then again, the 2020 vintage of this wine from Uruguay felt very different from the 2017 - and I feel like there's intention behind it.
Well, it was the only South American Merlot that I thought was in the same level as my beloved bottles from Bordeaux and Tuscany.
At some point, can we have a cellar tour ? 🙏
Never watched Sideways and, considering Merlot is probably my favourite red variety - chances are it would just piss me off :D
I will definitely try more Merlot after watching this video!
I tried 2018 Moss Wood Merlot Ribbon Vale a couple weeks ago and it was really spectacular. Hickinbotham Revivalist Merlot 2016 is also amazing.
Really enjoyed your Merlot tasting! I had a Firestone Merlot years ago with Duck for dinner that was outstanding. Firestone is in Santa Barbara with is a great wine rejgion also. They have cool ocean breezes that flow inland over the vineyards from a gap in the mountain range. Will try to locate some of these Merlots. I am using the wine glasses you recommended years ago on your tastings. Keep up the interesting and educational videos.
The first “good” wine I ever tasted was a Duckhorn Merlot. I was struck by the silky mouth feel and rich flavors. But at that time, I couldn’t spend 50 bucks or so for a bottle. Many years of mediocre 10 buck bottles 😢
James Bond met Vesper Lind in a memorable scene on a train in Casino Royale over dinner with a bottle of Chateaux Angelus on the foreground.
An excellent presentation on many levels. I vinified merlot when I worked in a winery so I never developed a bias against it. I did put a Pomerol back on the shelf in a store yesterday for showing 15% abv. I hear what you're saying about St. Emillion. Just drank a very ripe example still complex but very new world.
Konstantin you’re an absolutely fantastic wine creator, and I’ve watched you for several years, but I’m very saddened seeing you bring out a Israeli wine during these times.
Great video, just a shame to see.
What a crazy world we live in that we start judging good wine based on political attitudes. Do you really think that all Jews are behind the political system? Is a wine bad just because a winemaker does a good job in Israel? Rather than humanity, we should work towards living together in tolerance and leave politics out of it when it comes to issues that have nothing to do with politics.
@@Micha-pn5mnAbsolutely Right!
A wines quality and level is not dictated by who makes it, and to my experience, if anything, wine is a wonderful tool to bring people together!
However buying products is a way of supporting a country, and I really don’t think there needs to be more support to an ultra conservative, violent nation like Israel.
And the Jewish people and Israel are completely separate entities. Let’s not bring down Jewish people for what Israel does!
I drink what I like, what tastes good to me.
Doesn't matter what country, what region, which producer or what grape variety(ies).
The previous weekend I drank a Chateau d'Aiguilhe 2016 (Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux, 90% merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc) and it was very enjoyable: strong and ripe, with a great bouquet and wonderful taste with some developed characters but far from "over the hill", still with ripe but grippy tannins, full bodied with a long lasting aftertaste.
I think this wine is a steal and the entrecote seemed to like it too.
I have a bottle from that very same vintage. How would you score it?
Favourite Merlot (well, mostly Merlot), is Chateau Le Puy Emilien. Recently had the 2020 and it has a long life ahead of it.
Nice was thinking about getting the Château Moulin du Cadet, i was wondering because you didnt dacant any of the wines, do you rate the wine like they are right out of the bottle or on how you feel how they might develop? :)
I was expecting you to open a Masseto for the closing notes :P , but wow, the K Merlot was indeed a pleasant surprise. Is this available in Europe?
Ricasoli's Casalferro 2015 did not impress me a few years ago, it seems they have upped their game lately.
I always loved Right Bank Merlot and Supertuscan Merlot.
I loved the 2021 Mazzei Siepi Toscana IGT but that is a 50%Merlot -50% SanGiovese.
The cherry on top of my list has probably been the 2012 Querciabella Palafreno Toscana IGT 100% Merlot.
Every time I am in the States I buy Duckhorn Merlot for "Easy drinking" red wine. Delivers.
Great video as always, but sad to see that no new wave bordeaux was featured. I just absolutely adore those destemmed/ short skin contact/ no wood/ 13apv wines like les vacances de monsenieur merlot from chateau peybonnehomme
I've always like Merlot. I know the wine industry blames Sideways for poor Merlot sales, but wonder if this may be overblown. While I might go out of my way to try something because it was in a movie or someone I admire drinks it, I certainly would never avoid something I enjoy because a fictional character didn't like it. Cabernet Sauvignon and to a lesser extent Malbec have had tremendous New World popularity while other Bordeaux grapes have not. This is not because of quality. There is truly great Cabernet Franc outside France, but it never had the same popularity as Cab, and there is no movie to blame.
It was not overblown,. It was truly a trend that was sudden and marked and could only be explained by the fame of the movie.
I would never say no to Petrus!
Neither would I; if someone invited me...
The key word here is "would". :D
the reason he hates merlot is because the wine he got with his wife was a merlot which makes it funny when you realize most viewers missed the point
Casalferro 2019 is excelente 👏👏👏 I visited The winery last year and tasted The wine... really excelente 👏👏
Not from all four corners of the world, just the northern hemisphere. South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and South America all appear to be missing.
Yet at the end of the movie, he's in a fast food joint drinking Cheval Blanc which is merlot dominated
To sidestep the logistics of decanting, maybe try the wine aerator from Alpina. 90 seconds =1 hour of decanting
Only in few places,, pure merlot can make a world class wine.. not to mention super expensive wine, but wine like redigaffi, duckhorn merlot also fantastic
I quit because I was not going to risk being ridiculed for drinking a wine that has been so publicly berated. I had an image to protect.
One US-Merlot I like for special occasions: Merlot Buccella Napa Valley. It is quite full-bodied and fruit-forward, but still silky and smooth, unfortunately it is also quite expensive (around $100 a bottle). I love a glass or two, one full bottle is almost too much.
Well, that was fun! Cheers!
Remember the ABC (anything but Chardonnay)? Same story.
Ich liebe sideways. Ich kann den Film immer wieder schauen :)
Cool to see the Washington wine! By the way, Wahluke Slope and Walla Walla are over 100 miles away from each other.
Love merlot, and give thanks to “Sideways” for keeping prices down. Love Freemark Abbey, PlumpJack and Duckhorn California merlots, and Pollak merlot from Virginia. Can’t bring myself to spring for Petrus or Cheval Blanc, never tried them.
I love Merlot.❤
They all read 14.5% because EU labeling requires rounding, e.g. 13, 13.5,14, 14.5, 15, 15.5
There's also a 1% variance allowed, so e.g. the 14.5 wines could be anywhere between 13.5 and 15.5
Unfortunately, only one or two bottles of the K 2012 available on Wine Searcher
I put my reds at 15 degrees, I like the evolution in the glas plus I drink them quite slow. As for Merlot usually I like the ones from Italy and have also had some nice fruit forward ones from Germany.
Yarden 😍🥰Finally!
Surprisingly bright and crunchy and complex Merlot from Eagles' Nest in Constantia S. Africa and Frog's Leap in Sonoma California. Excellent comparative tasting!
Single varietal merlot wines is an area I haven’t explorer yet
Excited to try some
You should!
@@KonstantinBaumMasterofWineI certainly will!
I like Merlot. It is one of favourite red grapes.
As you know Konstantin,Petrus is 100% Merlot.
very rarely I have tried wines that get tasted on this channel and this Duckhorn Merlot is a great window into calibrating where Konstantins pallet is at, since I have tried it. (didnt like it😅)
Sideways got me into red wine
Now you have to taste a '61 Cheval Blanc!
Where wine is present, civilization thrives and barbarism fades away.
Hubert de Montille, Mondavino 2004
Great video!
Thanks!
Love K Vitners from Washington! If you can get your hands on a Merlot from Leonetti Cellars I think they make the best in the whole state!
I never decant my wines - I find part of the fun of drinking wine is tasting it develop in the glass over time. Don't listen to a movie - drink ^&$* Merlot. Merlot is great. Cab Franc is even better. I love them both.
If you are holding some Petrus that you are too embarrassed to drink I will take it off your hands.
Off the top of my head, all or almost all of the great red wines I’ve ever drunk had some, much or completely only Merlot in them - Petrus, Cheval Blanc, Mouton, La Conseillante, L’Evangile, L’Apparita, Rauzan Segla, Petrolo, etc. None of them had any Pinot in …
Merlot can be sublime 😊
Great tasting!
Actually i had tasted several Charles Smith and K Vintners wines, which surprised me when I was checking my archives! Kung Fu Girl Riesling by Charles Smith is a top massmarket wine. Like that. Then their K Vintners MCK Syrah is average but good, but next Charles Smith The Velvet Devil Merlot is quite poor, very average and watery one.
So they can do very nice wines and very very average. May be they try to diversify them by prices? I dont know...