L’Idiot Merlot 2017
“I am not drinking any f*** Merlot”
This well-known phrase of the oenophiles could be relevant, if, however, it were not spoken by a perfect idiot. It is made without sulfur and with native yeasts and then aged in concrete vats; a merlot can give what is in this bottle: A nice, powerful juice.
--A free winemaker
This is the English translation of the front label of a delightful French Merlot that came our way, L’idiot 2017, from Maison Ventenac. Ever since Miles uttered those fateful words in Sideways, Merlot has barely recovered from its drop in popularity. We LOVE Merlot—its tannins are softer than Cabernet Sauvignon or Malbec, so it does not need to age as long in order to mellow out.
L’idiot Merlot 2017 is deep purple in the glass, with a nose of blueberry and vanilla and a faint touch of earthiness. It is smooth in the mouth, with flavors of black cherry, raspberry, and clove. There is a beautiful splash of cranberry on the satisfying finish.
This particular bottle may be difficult to find at the moment, but keep it on your radar and look for it in the future. In the meantime, open your mind and open a bottle a bottle of Merlot. As the free winemaker quoted above says, you may just find “a nice, powerful juice.” So don’t be an idiot—drink some Merlot.