Genesis by Hogue Merlot '04
The Nitty Gritty:
- Vintage: 2004
- Varietal: Merlot
- Winery: Hogue
- Region: Columbia Valley
- Country: United States
- Price: About $14
- Rating: 89/100
- Tags: Merlot
All right. At the risk of sounding trite, because I cited Sideways in the last issue, I find it only appropriate to mention the PR problems Merlot had after that movie was released. Pinot Noir was suddenly all the rage, and no one was drinking any #$!%ing Merlot.
I started avoiding it for different reasons, mostly because Merlots bored me. I moved on pretty quickly because the Merlots I drank had no complexity, no character, no backbone.
Recently, I came back, ironically, for the same reason I left: I was bored. A few months ago, as I perused the more exotic side of the wine aisle for an interesting Zinfandel or Syrah, my eyes fell on a $9 bottle of Merlot. I took it home, tried it, and was thoroughly impressed. Since then, I’ve been intrigued, and this month’s issue was the perfect time to try another.
Washington State — specifically the Columbia Valley — has been producing some pretty fantastic wines in the past five years, which was ultimately why I selected the Genesis. The first thing we noticed upon opening the bottle was sediment, which is not actually a bad thing at all. Sediment is usually caused by the breakdown of tannins (which often gives a new wine its harsh overtones) and indicates the wine has had a little age on it. Though the first sip was still pretty alcohol-heavy and a little sharp, the wine showed great potential with lots of cassis and black cherry.
To speed along the process and smooth it out, we poured it into a decanter, which did just the trick. It became splendid and smooth, serving as a wonderful reminder that Merlot can be a dependable and sometimes interesting wine that shouldn’t be kept off anyone’s list.
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By Lauren McNally
Lauren B. McNally is a New York based consultant and freelance writer who spends most of her free time exploring culinary and oenological pursuits with friends. She originally hails from Maine and graduated from Bowdoin College,spending time abroad at the University of Cambridge in the UK (where she found the dining hall cuisine rather offensive and repulsive, as opposed to the top-ranked Bowdoin Dining Services). Her palate is ever-evolving but Burgundies are among her current obsessions. Her least favorite wine-related phrase: “I don’t like _.” Lauren also enjoys cooking Italian and French cuisine, and has an unnatural obsession with Gorgonzola and pancetta.
About The Humble Gourmand
The Humble Gourmand is published the first Friday of each month, edited by Alison L. McConnell, a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and writer. It is designed to offer straightforward lessons and advice to aspiring cooks, oenophiles, and all other eaters and drinkers.
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