As February coasts to a quiet close, it seems as though all who are writing for this site are enamored with Merlot.   Earlier this week, a Reserve Merlot was featured from the Virginia wine country in the United States as the monthly featured wine for the Mid-Atlantic Vine and two weeks prior, in Denver, a red table wine strongly reminiscent of Merlot with perhaps a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon found its way to the spotlight in the Rocky Mountain Vine’s monthly article.   This week, as the last article for the month of February, an aged Reserve Merlot sidles up to the table to educate and enchant.

Last year at the end of January, Markham Vineyard’s (“Markham”) 2001 Reserve Merlot was featured in my article titled “Mad for Merlot”.   Sipping at a high quality aged Merlot makes advocating in favor of the varietal effortless.   Yet this week, as cold unseasonal temperatures rattle Napa Valley and the rest of the Bay Area, comfort food is sought with no varietal better to accompany it than Merlot.

Since Markham’s 2001 Reserve Merlot was featured last winter, it would only be fitting to feature the winery’s 2002 Reserve Merlot now.    The 2002 Reserve Merlot features the same Napa Valley vineyard’s grapes, but those of the following season.   The beauty of wine is that it is a direct product of Mother Nature.   Depending on what Mother Nature delivers, a vintage can vary subtly or drastically from year to year.   Tracking those differences and acquainting oneself with such nuances is part of the intimate beauty of appreciating wine.

To refresh, last year’s featured 2001 Reserve Merlot from Markham exhibited a dark-red color in the glass, adorned with aromas of raspberry fruit and hints of clove.   The palate was easily enamored with the wine’s texture and full round, supple velvety mouth feel.   Flavors of raspberry, cherry, tobacco and dark chocolate ensconced the palate as the wine exuded a simply strong elegance which could not be interpreted in any other way shy of candid sensuality.

From that description alone, any reader would recognize that this wine was no ordinary Merlot.   Similarly, I knew that endeavoring on this task to compare two different vintages that in this case, the 2002 vintage has competition to live up to.  Electing to open the bottle now, it also places the 2002 Reserve Merlot in a similar stage of bottle aging as the 2001 Reserve Merlot enjoyed last winter.

Opening Markham’s 2002 Reserve Merlot, the coloring again is dark-red with ruby notes around the edges of the wine.   The nose is greeted by subtle aged aromas of cherry cola, French vanilla, toffee and whisps of dark chocolate.  On the palate, mouth-watering notes of raspberry preserves transcend with a slight essence of smoke.   A velvety texture weaves elegantly around creamy berry and cola flavors as notes of coco softly caress the palate.   Its finish again is equally elegant and strong in a distinguished manner.  While the wine is dry, the tannins are so finely ground due to aging at this point that you envision silt finely engrained in the soil from which these vines once grew.

Before the palate can fully recover from its first few sips of this gem of a Reserve Merlot, it is easily understandable why comfort food pairs so texturally well with this varietal.   Not to detract from the individual nuances of this wine, this week’s menu merely holds the same food pairing as last year’s article:

·         Italian Sausage Beef-Bolognese Lasagna

When this Lasagna emerges from the oven with its aromas of garlic, sweet onion, heirloom tomatoes, fennel, basil and oregano, it is easy to sense why this will pair so well with this varietal.   Taking a quick glance at the melted cheeses and clumps of ricotta peeking out of the pan, the palate salivates in anticipation of that comforting texture.

Once plated and bites have been taken with the wine, the palate’s attention is immediately grabbed by how the 2002 Reserve Merlot aggressively grabs onto fennel seed with a firm embrace.   The fennel actually makes the wine explode in the mouth.  Oregano and basil invoke a coy herbaceous nature in the wine that was not present previously.   The texture of the ricotta matches comfortingly to the elegant smooth mouth-feel of this wine.

A glass of Markham’s 2002 Reserve Merlot will convert any skeptic into an aficionado of fine Merlot.   Merlot has its place in the culinary entertaining world:  seductive and coy, when made well it easily enamors the palate and renders it spellbound, as the hand instinctively reaches for another glass.   In short, this wine is just utterly good, nine years later whether paired with a comforting dish, sipped alone or guiltily savored with your favorite tiramisu.

*Please note:  The winery may or may not still have this vintage available (and if so, in a magnum).  Similarly the decadent 2004 Reserve Merlot is available in a limited quantity and only in a magnum.   If you have not found the fan page on Facebook for The Casual Connoisseur, please do to receive article updates and other fun information.  Cheers!