I am a big fan of red blends! I love the idea of being the 'mad
scientist' winemaker behind the curtain with his beakers of Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot, or Petit Verdot blending away while electrical sparks fly
all around...who knows, he might even add a pinch of Malbec to the
mix. Blending can be an extraordinarily useful wine making
technique but, like Frankenstein's monster, red blends can be somewhat underestimated and often disregarded as "red table wine." For years, winemakers have known that by
combining grape varieties, they can accentuate a wine's virtues or
diminish its weak points; they can add a touch of spice to the aroma,
say, or a bit more body to the texture. Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the
world's great red grapes, but it can be extremely tannic when young, a
little Merlot, as the winemakers of Bordeaux have known for centuries,
can
round out those harsh tannins, tame Cabernet's inherent aggressiveness
and
make it a bit more forgiving. The great Bordeaux's from France are generally made from a blend of
grapes and the guidelines permit Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc, 
Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenere. White Bordeaux is more
generally in the form of Sauternes and made from Semillon, Sauvignon
Blanc and Muscadelle. Blending wine affords new
frontiers to a winemaker giving him the ability to offer more complexity, and as far as I can tell, there are no
boundaries. Many of the world's greatest wines are actually made from a blend of grapes
rather than a single varietal, some are made from classic recipes that have been handed
down from
generation to generation. BATF* regulations state that a varietal has to have at least 75% of
itself
to be designated as that grape on the label. By the late 1980s,
American wine consumers had become conditioned to regard such single variety wines, (Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, etc...) as the
pinnacle of quality. Many winemakers, however,
believed the varietal requirement did not necessarily result in the
highest quality wine from their vineyards. The American term for a blended wine, Meritage (rhymes
with heritage) was coined to
identify wines that represent the highest form of the art of blending
and to distinguish these wines from the jug wine moniker "red table
wine. For me, the fun is to find winemakers who are creating new blends
in an
attempt to produce a new and exciting wine that has flavor
characteristics like nothing else on the market. Don't get me wrong...I still love a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and
as Kirsten and I were discussing the merits of Meritage wine, we started a whole new discussion on wines and percentages of other grape
varietals used to manipulate structure...this will be covered in part 2!*Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms
The blends......
2008 Symmetry, Red Meritage, Alexander Valley
The 2008 Symmetry greets you with a generous bouquet of blackberries, ripe dark plums, sweet spices and pie crust. It opens boldly on the palate with layers of blackberry, cassis, dark chocolate and brown spice. This mouth-filling wine is rich, silky in texture, expansive and quite long on the finish, and manages to be at once harmonious, powerful, and elegant. Intended to be enjoyable on release, Symmetry is destined for years of further evolution in the bottle. Savor it!2008 Beringer Meritage Red Knights Valley
The 2008 Meritage has aromas of baked cherry and plums, candied violets and cinnamon. It is marked by a ripe, generous palette of plum spices and mocha, rounded out by a lush, lingering finish
Estancia 2007 Red Meritage
Deep crimson. Vibrant blackberries and cherries, with nuances of anise and sage, accents of chocolate and sweet oak. Intense flavors of black cherries and currants, framed by dusty tannins providing an elegant and lingering finish.Footnote..."In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association (now The Meritage Alliance) to identify and promote handcrafted wines blended from the traditional “noble” Bordeaux varieties."
http://www.meritagealliance.
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