It was difficult, for a time, to speak of merlot without referencing that damaging scene from the movie “Sideways.”
Yet the varietal has always had its charms. And in the right setting, with proper care, merlot carries itself with the refinement of a cellared Cabernet Sauvignon, waiting like a still life of sun-warmed fruit on a stone table surrounded by the frayed fittings of a well-used kitchen.
The 2012 Moore Family merlot comes from this discriminating tradition. The aromas greet you with confidence and charm, a ready smile and serious interest. Cherry and plum — bursting with ripeness — drift over the glass. Curls of old world pipe tobacco smoke leave a trace of cedar in their wake. Smooth chocolates laced with cured vanilla wait on a worn piece of stoneware.
It’s a comfortable, clubby wine on the nose, introducing you to a world of leather lounges and heavy velour curtains.
On the palate it is equally mellow. The fruits are rich and overripe, with an undertone of date. Traces of vanilla and mocha weave through this, creating an impression of abundance held in reserve, of wealth kept inside the old manse.
This leads to an almost brooding presence. The cherry and plum notes huddle and cure, taking on an earthy, hearty tone. But there remains some light, a beam of raspberry from an upstairs window.
On the finish — oh, and it is a gorgeous finish in its moment — one senses the standards of a lost world. In place of vanilla encased in dull glass, one finds the residue of the seasoning in a heavy cask of wood. There is a richness to it, a palpable taste of a world before things became disposable.
But the moment passes, leaving a hint of clove and split wood — and a great desire to experience it all once again.
It is merlot as a pastime, not as an anecdote.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
