Merlot Can Steal the Show

Prologue:

• Acres of Merlot in California

  1960	-	2 acres
  1965	-	1,742
  1985	-	2,538
  1990	-	7,435
  1996	-	18,000 acres

• With this soaring production, there is a virtual lake of murky, swampy, mediocre Merlots out there. ...The key to [avoiding them] is to stick with wineries that have a good track record with this grape. - James Laube, Wine Spectator (paraphrase)

• Whitehall Lane Merlot Track Record

  The 1990	—	"A terrific Merlot," Robert Parker, Jr.
  The 1991	—	"Bigger and riper than most Merlots," Jerry Mead
  The 1994	—	"Deep ruby color, well structured, lengthy finish ," Wine Enthusiast Magazine

The Wine:
1995 Whitehall Lane Merlot, Napa Valley
Contact—Kristen Kettel, (415) 771-2887, Fax (415) 441-9463
$20

Postscript: California's 18,000 acres of Merlot is most impressive, but the Golden State is not about to overtake Bordeaux. When I last looked the acreage of Merlot on the Gironde was 80,000!

Note: For more about Whitehall Lane, see the October WineDay article about their '94 Reserve Cab.

About the Writer Fred McMillin, a veteran wine writer, has taught wine history for 30 years on three continents. He currently teaches wine courses at San Francisco State and San Francisco City College and is Northern California Editor for American Wine on the Web. In 1995, the Academy of Wine Communications honored Fred with one of only 22 Certificates of Commendation awarded to American wine writers.

Read more articles by Fred McMillin in the eGGsf

Welcome to WineDay, the electronic Gourmet Guide's daily update. Monday through Thursday, WineDay presents a wine profile. Then on Fridays we present the Winery of the Week to take you through the weekend

Copyright © 1997—the electronic Gourmet Guide, Inc. All rights reserved.