How to appreciate Merlot

[mrdutton]

Drew the level of wine sophistication in your locale is significantly higher than around here.

Folks here are stuck on the WS 100 - 96 scale and then only when it concerns CS and Merlot and really awful oakey Chardonnay.

GSM around here is a rare bird indeed.

Let me tell you something: the 1999 Corbieres Grand Cuvee from Castelmavre, a very nice juice for less than $10.00 sat in the local wine guy's place and dint sell.

I bought all of it.

These folks around here wouldn't know a decent Rhone or CdR or Languedoc or Corbieres or Gigondas or Beaujolais or any such juice even if they were force fed.

Bonny Doon Big House Red is a rare find around here as is anything named Cline.

On the other hand, they do manage to suck up the Chateau Beaucastle and the Caymus and the Rothkiddie stuff cuz the Speculum tells em that is the good juice.

Oops, maybe I should move this to Rants. But if one is going to learn to appreciate red wine, then one must drink more than Cali Merlot. At least in my humble opinion.