At a recent “Masters of Merlot” event at the COPIA Center in Napa, winemaker Chris Carpenter, referenced the film, “Sideways,” when he said, “Miles had a problem with his ex-wife, not Merlot.” Just as sales of men’s undershirts sharply declined when Clark Gable appeared bare-chested in the film, “It Happened One Night,” Miles Raymond’s declaration of “not drinking any @&%#ing merlot”

Moderator Anthony Giglio, Chris Carpenter/LaJota, Cleo Pahlmeyer/Pahlmeyer, PJ Alviso/Duckhorn, Ted Edwards/Freemark Abbey

created a setback to one of the most esteemed grape varieties in the world.  Estimates place peak California merlot plantings at 60,000 acres and, after some recovery, it seems to have stabilized at 44,000 acres.

Ironically, “60 Minutes correspondent Morley Safer’s 1991 segment, “The French Paradox” highlighted the health benefits of red wine and created a boom for all red varietals, including merlot.  

Carpenter also added that while “Sideways” turned the Carneros to pinot noir, what survived were the sweet spots for merlot in the Napa Valley.

It makes sense that the Napa Valley, birthplace of California’s Bordeaux-style blends, would produce the finest Merlot releases. While cabernet sauvignon is still dominant, pioneer Napa Valley wine makers like Dan Duckhorn fell in love right-bank Bordeaux wines where merlot is king.

Duckhorn Vineyards has been the source of fine merlot wines for over forty years.  Vice President of Winegrowing P.J. Alviso recalled several stories, including the acquisition of the legendary Three Palms Vineyard, on the Silverado Trail, south of Calistoga, which produced the 2014 Duckhorn Vineyards Three Palms Vineyards Merlot Napa Valley ($98), Wine Spectator magazine’s 2017 Wine of the Year.

Alviso characterized the Three Palms Vineyard as an amazingly self-regulating site that includes fifty acres of low-yield merlot vines. 

2015 Duckhorn Three Palms Vineyard Merlot

The current 2015 Three Palms Merlot ($98) release had slate and berry aromas with complex flavors balanced with earthy elements on the finish.  Duckhorn also produces a Napa Valley Merlot ($60) sourced from over fifty growing lots from numerous vintners.

Freemark Abbey is storied in California wine history because its vintage 1969 Cabernet Sauvignon and 1973 Chardonnay were both included in the 1976 Paris Tasting.  Winemaker Ted Edwards shared that their first merlot release was the result of an abundant 1985 harvest.  Plans to sell off the excess changed after sampling the quality and they have released merlot as a single varietal wine since.

Freemark Abbey produces a Napa Valley Merlot ($30),aged sixteen months in French oak, with 11% added between cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot, malbec and cabernet franc. However, the 2015 Freemark Abbey Merlot Bosche’ Vineyard ($60), with 99% merlot from the Rutherford district, expresses exceptional depth of flavor and aroma. It’s rich, concentrated flavors of black cherry combine with nuanced spice elements.

Known primarily for their Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red, President Cleo Pahlmeyer talked of her father Jayson’s switch from law to winemaking in pursuit of creating a “California Mouton,” referring to an iconic Bordeaux wine from Chateau Rothschild. She introduced the estate grown 2015 Pahlmeyer Merlot, Napa Valley ($85), sourced from vineyards at 2,000 feet elevation on Atlas Peak, describing it as drinking like a cabernet sauvignon. 

In this impressive release, the aromas were timidly wild, structure was excellent and there was a slight perfume element to the flavors of black cherry and vanilla.  As is often the case, the rich mouthfeel is credited to a late rain that reduced net yield by thirty percent.

Mt. Brave and LaJota Vineyard Co. winemaker Chris Carpenter described the challenges of mountain vineyards in dealing with rocky

La Jota Vineyard Co. WS Keyes Vineyard Merlot Howell Mountain

soils, angles to the sun and tree lines.  He produced  250-300 cases of the 100% 2015 Mt. Brave Merlot, Mt. Veeder ($80) that had all the elements of an extraordinary wine with dark fruit and espresso flavors that lingered.

For LaJota, Carpenter delivers two fine merlot release from estate Howell Mountain vineyards in the town of Anqwin including the 2015 La Jota Vineyard Co. W.S. Keyes Merlot Howell Mountain ($150), awarded 96-points by Robert Parker, Jr.  Sourced from old gnarly vines in what was described as the “most highly prized merlot vineyard in the country,” the Keyes Vineyard release was one of the finest and most complex merlots that I have tasted from the color, bold flavors and mineral elements through the long finish.

The wine community has declared that merlot is back!  Those of us who were fortunate to taste new releases from these five top Napa Valley wineries realize that it never left.  I suggest that we selfishly make amends by drinking more merlot.

The first documentary film, “Somm” chronicled the arduous regime of four young sommeliers, struggling to prepare to take the Master Sommelier exam.  “Somm 2” tells the story behind producing a bottle of wine, examining the challenges of each vintage through harvesting of the grapes to proper aging as it evolves.

Director Jason Wise’s latest release, “Somm 3,” that recently had its San Francisco premiere at the Clay Theater on Fillmore, chronicles the ongoing comparisons between old and new world wines that began on a May afternoon in 1976 with a blind tasting now commonly known as the Judgement of Paris.

The film begins its homage to history by bringing together three icons of the modern wine story to do some tastings of their own.  Wine critic and prolific author Jancis Robinson, master sommelier Fred Dame and Steve Spurrier, one of the organizers of the 1976 Paris Tasting, come together in the Clos du Val barrel room to share their favorite releases and memories of the past fifty years.

Jancis Robinson, Fred Dame and Steve Spurrier

Owner of the Caves de la Madeleine wine shop in Paris, Spurrier was immersed in the French wine scene and, after months of persuading skeptics to participate, he organized a blind tasting where the top French wine experts compared the best wines from their country with some new generation California wines.  The wines of the competition were as follows:

Chardonnay California: Chateau Montelena 1973, Chalone Vineyard 1974, Spring Mountain 1973, Freemark Abbey 1972, David Bruce 1973, Veedercrest 1973.

French Chardonnay:  Meursault Charmes 1973, Beaunne Clos des Mouches 1973, Batard-Montrachet 1973, Puligny-Montrachet

California Cabernet Sauvignon:  Stags Leap Cellars 1973, Ridge Monte Bello 1971, Mayacamas 1971, Clos Du Val 1972 (1st vintage)

1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay

Heitz Martha’s Vineyard 1970, Freemark Abbey 1969

French Cabernet Sauvignon:  Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1970, Chateau Haut-Brion 1970, Chateau Montrose 1970, Chateau Leoville-Las Cases 1971, 

The wine world was shocked when Napa Valley’s Chateau Montelena 1973, from winemaker Mike Grgich, was named the top chardonnay with releases from Chalone and Spring Mountain placing third and fourth.

I have recently tasted impressive village and premier cru chardonnay from Meursault Charmes and Puligny-Montrachet in Burgundy, wines that command hundreds of dollars per bottle.  In 1976, the showing of our reasonably priced California releases in Paris turned the wine world upside down.

Also, on that day, the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 scored slightly higher that the iconic Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Chateau Haut-Brion which brought instant credibility and California wines exploded onto the world market.

On May 24, 2006, exactly thirty years after the Judgment in Paris, a reprise tasting of the original ten red wines was held in California

Judging at the 1976 Paris Tasting

with both local and French experts.  After thirty years in the cellar, not only did Paul Draper’s Ridge Monte Bello Vineyard 1971 prevail, but the top five were all from California.

The prestigious Monte Bello Vineyard lies in the northern Santa Cruz Mountains above Silicon Valley and produces a sensational wine each vintage.  The latest Ridge Monte Bello 2015 ($215), a blend of cabernet sauvignon (77%), merlot (11%), petit verdot (7%)and cabernet Franc (5%) boast several ratings in the high nineties.

“Somm3” also provides the platform for today’s wine experts to gather for a new Judgement tasting.  Master Sommelier Dustin Wilson, owner of Verve wines in New York and San Francisco assembled an esteemed panel to compare old world Burgundy wines with pinot noir from California and other regions throughout the world. Without giving the results away, California wines were competitive.  

I have recently visited and tasted red wines (pinot noir) from Saint Romain, Meursault and Volnay in Burgundy. I also live in Sonoma County, near the Russian River Valley and am familiar with wines from the top appellations in California and Oregon.  In a blind tasting, with no disrespect to the superb French wines, it would be difficult for my palate to stray far from home.

Dustin Wilson’s new Judgement tasting in New York

As someone who appreciates the mystique of wine, the Somm trilogy is, in many ways, an education series, designed to introduce the viewer to the complexities of the industry, from farming through mouthfeel. It reinforces the perspective of wine as an art form with each vintage beginning as a blank canvas.  

On the westside of the Napa Valley, high above St. Helena is  where the vineyards of the remote Spring Mountain appellation are located.  The Smith Brothers, Stuart and Charles, have been pioneers in the hillside appellation since the early seventies when they cleared the land and re-established vineyards that had been abandoned since the turn of the century.

Records show that ownership of the Smith-Madrone property was first granted to George Cook in 1885. During the 1890s, the

Stuart and Charles Smith

aphid phylloxera infected and destroyed the vineyards on Spring Mountain and, in 1905, they were abandoned and remained fallow for sixty-five years.

Strangely, Stuart Smith discovered his passion for wine while completing undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley in the 1960s.  He soon completed a Master’s Degree at UC Davis and began the search for a place to pursue his craft.

Stuart has been called a leading voice for hillside vineyards, an accolade he downplays.  He claims that he was always looking for a higher altitude hillside site because he felt it produced the best grapes.  When the opportunity arose for Stuart and Charles to purchase old George Cook’s 200 acre property with overgrown vineyards, they jumped at it.

They were aware that there could be protests as they de-forested parts of the mountain to form the best vineyard sites.  While inspecting each vineyard location from his all-terrain vehicle, I found Stuart to be someone who cares deeply about the madrone forest and the soil, while using eco-friendly farming practices in his vineyards.

Charles Smith serves as the winemaker and storyteller at the winery.  I caught up with him as he was leading a small group of out-of-state tourists through their story and palate of wines.

The Smith Brothers like to keep it simple and consistent.  They produce about 3,000 cases per vintage of the same four wines,

Smith-Madrone Chardonnay

focused on creating the best in each from what Mother Nature gives them.

The tasting began with a dry-farmed estate release, the 2015 Smith-Madrone Chardonnay ($34) that concurrently expressed complexity and accessibility.  Barrel-fermented for ten months in 80% new French oak, the flavors were layered and balanced, not overly crisp or creamy.

Riesling production is no longer associated with the Napa Valley, but there is a history.  Over the years, chardonnay has nearly dominated it out of existence.  However, the 2015 Smith-Madrone Estate Riesling ($32) is among the finest California releases that I have tasted.  While I agree in part with Charles’ assessment that their riesling is more full-bodied French style (Alsatian) than German, the  expressive minerality on the finish is reminiscent of those from Germany’s Mosel region along the Rhine River.  

The climate on Spring Mountain is warmer like Alsace, allowing the grapes to ripen earlier.  With the 2015 vintage, the result is a dry, crisp wine with citric and floral qualities and an exceptional mineral-laced finish.  They make less than 700 cases, but this wine is worth pursuing.

The drought in California was in full effect in 2014 when rainfall on Spring Mountain, at 1800-foot elevation, was less than half of normal.  As a result, the cabernet sauvignon and other Bordeaux varietals, from volcanic soil, developed smaller clusters with more concentrated flavors.

The 2014 Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon ($52), blended with small amounts of cabernet franc and merlot, has a rich mouthfeel

Smith-Madrone “Cook’s Flat” Reserve

with flavors that coalesced on the palate.  With nearly 2,000 cases produced, it is aged for 18 months in mostly new French oak and will certainly evolve for several years.  

A blend of the best blocks of cabernet sauvignon (58%), merlot (17%) and cabernet franc (25%), the “Cook’s Flat” Reserve is only produced when the highest standards can be achieved. 

As opposed to some overbearing fruity wines, the 2012 Smith-Madrone “Cook’s Flat” Reserve ($225) is a refined release with deeply balanced flavors, made, according to Charles Smith, in an “Old World” style. He credits the cabernet franc for adding depth and complexity to the wine.

Charles and Stuart in the early 1970s

The Smith Brothers have been doing what they do on Spring Mountain for forty-seven years.  As a result, they have gotten good at it.  Although the remote Spring Mountain vineyards are more difficult to access, an appointment to tour and taste at Smith-Madrone will prove to be a unique experience.