Merlot producers have been complaining about the “Sideways Effect” since 2004, when Hollywood single handedly accounted for the slide in Merlot sales, while encouraging the soar of Pinot Noir sales. It’s understandable that producers would complain, but let all of us who have been drinking American wines seriously for more than a decade be honest – before Sideways, most of us were making fun, or at least shaking our heads in wonder, at the many watery, boring Merlots that were being snapped up in the 1990s and into the new decade. Those of us who enjoyed the excellent California Merlots which led to the explosion of the inferior products understood where the movie character was coming from, even if he parodied our opinions.
Alas, there are still lots of inferior Merlots on the market at all price points, but there are also some good ones. PoiZ is a new label from the Brower family, who also produce Château Julien. This 2007 Merlot is one of their three inaugural releases. Here’s the scoop:
The wine has a very elegant package: a good label, interesting bottle, and heavy red wax over the faux cork; rather incongruous. The nose on opening is cranberry over plum. Although there is a little heat upfront and some noticeable tannins throughout, what is mostly obvious right away is the blue fruit – plum with hints of black raspberry, with the raspberry growing stronger on the finish. The finish has moderate length. 60 minutes after opening, the plum has taken over the nose, but the raspberry has matched the plum upfront and dominates the finish. The alcohol had also subsided and the tannins sweetened a bit. Overall, this is a very nice, fruit-driven, and balanced wine.
Score: 89
Pairings: While not a fruit bomb, the powerful fruit in this wine would overwhelm any stand-alone meats. If you like grilled steak rare with plenty of the steak sauce of your choice, this would be a wine for you. I would also pair this with game birds or venison. I can also see this being a very pleasant wine on its own.
2007 PoiZ Merlot
Region: Monterey County, Central Coast, California
Grape: 100% Merlot
Producer Website: http://poizwineestate.com
$25.00 retail, 14% abv
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