Years ago — make that decades ago — an outfielder named George Hendrick felt so maligned by those who covered the game of baseball that he clammed up. He refused to speak to radio announcers, columnists or anyone else with a pen or microphone in hand.
It’s hard to believe Hendrick suffered more than others. But he never really recovered from early criticisms, even as he rose to relative stardom.
Fortunately, merlot is made of sterner stuff.
“Merlot is a good grape,” said winemaker Jim Fore. “It just got a lot of bad press. It’s coming back in demand.”
Of course you remember the slap at merlot in the movie “Sideways.” And no, if you have not seen the quintessential wine tour movie, the comment can’t be repeated verbatim here. Rest assured, the varietal did not come off well.
But Fore is on to something. In 1993, just before the film sapped merlot of its growing luster, just 4 percent of California’s premium varietal volume was devoted to the grape. These days, according to the Gomberg Fredrikson Annual Review, it is closer to 8 percent.
Sample the Fore Family 2014 merlot and you’ll understand the varietal’s capacity for shrugging off Hollywood’s insults. A swirl of the glass releases genteel aromas of cherry and plum, drifting over a budding meadow. While soft touches of clove and worn cast iron languish in the background, a trace not unlike a pot of herbed butter — creamy, with bittersweet flecks seeps in.
The fruits ease over the palate, the brightness of cherry and red berries tempered by the cool reserve of stewed plum. The stroll is so evenly paced, it allows more deliberate notes to catch up. Soon a refined earthiness swells — toffee, quiet spice, calm woods and smoothed stone. Yet there is still that unique creamy aspect, like butterscotch without the drooping richness.
“There is a little weight to it,” Fore said.
All of these impressions settle into a nice, mellow finish, toasted with fruit tarts and friendly spice. It’s a comfortable wine.
Fore rested the merlot in mostly French oak — 15 percent new — for 20 months before bottling. The time and the blend of wood allowed the wine to come to terms with its place in the world. Merlot has been favored and reviled and treats both praise and criticism with a shrug.
“I’m just trying to let it show itself,” Fore pointed out. “I like the finish. I wanted to keep it true to the varietal.”
That’s why merlot keeps rebounding. Winemakers may nudge it toward the brooding reds of big steakhouses. Wine drinkers may shun it for its supposed lack of nuance next to the valued cabernets. But merlot remains merlot, at least in the proper hands.
Unlike others stung by the backhand of publicity, merlot continues to express itself.
Fore credits terroir for his wine’s willingness to talk. His plot of merlot vines is nestled alongside a creek and planted in deep soil. Because the vines have been in the ground for some years, yields have been dropping — a good thing in this case, as it builds intensity in the finished flavors.
Of course, when a wine is simply good, even the winemaker waves off such details.
“We drink it quite a bit,” Fore said. “It’s easy.”
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
