Robert Sinskey Vineyards Merlot, Los Carneros, napa Valley, 2009
reluctant Red... a blackbird singing in the dead of night! by Rob Sinskey It wasn t the wine they wanted, but it showed up anyway. About a quarter century ago, Merlot crashed the party with as much subtlety as Bluto Blutarsky in a toga. It came out of nowhere while other wines, like Pinot Noir, were still finding their New World footing. Oh, there were a few people making a wine called Merlot, but no one anticipated it would soon alter the wine landscape and, for better or worse, define a prototypical American wine style.
Merlot, Los Carneros, Napa Valley, 2009 3
In cool climates like the Right Bank of Bordeaux or the Carneros, Merlot can take the lead as a varietal wine because it has the ripening time to develop flavor and structure in the cooler hinterlands.
Prior to the 90 s, American taste in wine veered between extremes. At one end the masochistic, tannin-laden Cabernet Sauvignon reigned supreme amongst macho, male-dominated wine collecting clans, who stood around comparing size while trading the adjectives: massive, powerful and hard. We were told that these wines were designed for the ages - yet many remained hard and surly into old age. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the sugary, sweet, white Zinfandel dominated the top of the charts, driving growth and profits for many wineries, forcing them to transition from mom and pop operations into large, national corporations. The masses loved the soda pop-like wines even though they didn t pair well with anything but bubble gum. People grew dissatisfied with their limited choices and looked for something more elegant and balanced... a softer wine that could be consumed younger than the massive Cabs, yet without the sugar of the mass-produced White Zins. What they really wanted was Pinot Noir, but since most didn t know how to confidently pronounce it and there weren t yet many well made ones from the New World, Merlot stepped into the spotlight. Merlot sounded elegant - it sounded French - and it was not intimidating to ask for a glass at the bar. Who cared that its name means young blackbird? It sounded sophisticated, cool, and sexy as it rolled off the tongue. Besides the unintended marketing advantage of a pronounceable name, why did this wine take off? Merlot is an early ripening grape, which means it performs better in cooler climates than other Bordeaux varieties. Not only does it ripen sooner, it has softer tannin. Traditionally, Merlot was blended with Cabernet Sauvignon to tame its harder tannins. However, in cool climates like the Right Bank of Bordeaux or the Carneros, Merlot can take the lead as a varietal wine because it has the ripening time to develop flavor and structure in the cooler hinterlands. As Merlot became more popular, growers started planting it in warmer climes. This accelerated its popularity as warmer regions not only decreased acidity and amplified softness, but the grapes got riper, allowing for residual sugar and/or high alcohols that fattened the mouthfeel of the finished wine with sweetness. So even though Merlot started out on the razor s edge in fringe areas that made a more elegant, food friendly wine, its success encouraged plantings in less than optimal locations, managing to turn it into a hybrid wine with both big and sweet characteristics. Merlot went from being the niche jazz act, playing gigs in obscure underground French dinner clubs, to become a hair band with the power to sell out Madison Square Garden! Fashion has a way of correcting itself. Once Merlot turned it up to 11, it became a self parody. All it took to initiate a correction was one F ing line in a movie. Now Merlot is back in the small clubs, working in obscurity as it finds its voice of elegance, balance and finesse in the cooler growing regions where it belongs. Merlot, Los Carneros, Napa Valley, 2009 5
Merlot cluster prior to veraison Wine Growing Notes by Rob Sinskey, Jeff Virnig and Debby Zygielbaum The 2009 vintage was born into fears of drought as a dry January and February left the Carneros with just 30% of normal precipitation. Then, the March Miracle occurred, leaving a respectable 80% of normal rain fall for the season. The rest of the long, cool growing season in RSV s organic and Biodynamic Carneros Vineyards allowed for the relatively small crop of Merlot to mature leisurely, developing nice red fruit characteristics and elegant, elongated tannins for a classic, balanced structure. 6 Merlot, Los Carneros, Napa Valley, 2009
Merlot, Los Carneros, Napa Valley, 2009 Tasting Notes by Rob Sinskey and Jeff Virnig Aromas and flavors of red cassis and tart plum with hints of earthy dried herbs and cacao nibs. The wine has a nice weight that fills the mid-palate, yet finishes long and clean with bright, mouth watering acidity... an ideal candidate for the dinner table.
8 Merlot, Los Carneros, Napa Valley, 2009
What goes around comes around! I used to make lasagna for just about every large dinner party I threw during my early years of entertaining. It took more than a little effort as I had to make the sauce, the pasta and then the filling from scratch. However, once everything was done and the lasagna assembled, I just had to pop it in the oven while I entertained my guests. A delicious dish was as simple as that! I had moved away from lasagna until some restaurant friends from Nantucket came for a visit and turned me on to a white lasagna they made with our vineyard raised lamb and pasta sheets made from 00 flour. The result was a light, ethereal lasagna, filled with richly braised lamb and creamy béchamel. Pure heaven! That lasagna lingered in my head for nigh over a year before I took action. When I tasted the rich yet restrained, dark plum and cherry fruit of the Merlot, it hit a nerve. Its beautiful structure with underpinnings of vibrant acidity, opened the door to re-create the lasagna using veal instead of lamb. I felt lamb might just be a tad overwhelming for this elegantly balanced wine and veal would hit the spot. Roll up your sleeves and give yourself a little time to create this dish. Enlist the help of others and pour yourself a glass of Merlot. Until the next wine Maria
White Lasagna with Veal Sugo There is no need to cook the pasta sheets for this rich yet delicate lasagna. For a vegetarian option, substitute 3 pounds of a mixed assortment of mushrooms for the veal. 4 tablespoons divided extra virgin olive oil 2 medium carrots minced 2 celery stalks, minced 1/2 medium yellow onion minced 2 pounds ground veal Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup tomato puree 1 cup red wine 2 cups water 2 bay leaves Béchamel Sauce, Recipe follows 00 Pasta Dough, Recipe follows 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan 1. Heat a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan, then the carrot, onion and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are golden and soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat if the vegetables brown too quickly before they are soft. This is the soffritto that is the base for many Italian sauces. Remove the soffritto to a plate. 2. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and then the veal. Brown the veal for 6-8 minutes, season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic, stir well, and cook for 1 minute more. 3. Add the soffritto back to the pan along with the tomato puree, red wine, water and bay leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Partially cover with a lid and cook for 1 1/2 hours until the veal is meltingly tender. Add more liquid if the pan becomes dry. The veal should be moist, but not sauce-like, at the end of cooking. Remove the bay leaves. The veal may be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. To make the lasagna: 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 2. Use olive oil to lightly rub the inside of a 9-inch x 7-inch x 3-inch casserole dish. Line the bottom with UNCOOKED pasta sheets, overlapping by 1/2-inch. 3. Spread 1 cup of béchamel over the first layer of pasta. Top with 2 layers of uncooked pasta, then 1/2 of the veal. 4. Top with 1 layer of pasta sheets, then spread 1 cup of béchamel over. Top with 2 layers of pasta and then the remaining veal. 5. Finish with 2 layers of pasta, then top with 1 1/2 cups of béchamel. 6. Sprinkle with Parmesan and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour until the lasagna is bubbling and the top is golden.
Béchamel Sauce Yield: about 4 cups 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 4 tablespoons 00 flour 4 cups milk Pinch nutmeg 1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion 1 small dried bay leaf 1 teaspoon kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1. Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Cook at a vigorous bubble, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes but do not brown, lower the heat if necessary. 2. Remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in 1 cup of milk. Continue to add milk 1 cup at a time, whisking after each addition to keep the sauce smooth. After all of the milk has been added, place the pan back over medium heat. 3. Whisk slowly but constantly until the milk comes to a boil and thickens. Reduce the heat to low. Add the nutmeg, bay leaf and onion. 4. Cook for 15 minutes. Stir frequently to keep the sauce from burning on the bottom of the pan. 5. Strain the sauce through a fine strainer. Do not scrape the bottom of the pan. Season the sauce with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cool to warm. Sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated. Pasta Dough 2 cups 00 flour 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3 large eggs 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1. In a small bowl, mix the flour and salt together. Place in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. 2. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the eggs and olive oil together. Add to the flour and pulse until ingredients are combined and come together when pressed between your fingers. If dough is too dry add a few drops of water until the dough presses together. 3. Turn the dough out of the food processor onto a board or counter and knead lightly until dough is smooth and elastic. Wrap in plastic and let rest for at least 30 minutes or overnight. 4. Pass three times through pasta machine before rolling to the second thinnest setting (you should be able to see your hand through the dough). Dust sheets with flour to keep from sticking. 5. Dust the finished sheets with flour and lay them out on a floured board or pan. Place flour-dusted parchment or wax paper in between the sheets of pasta. Cover them lightly with a towel until you are ready to make the lasagna.
Merlot, Los CarneroS napa Valley, 2009 Winemaker: Jeff Virnig Recipes: Maria Helm Sinskey Photos and Text: Rob Sinskey Vineyard Manager: Debby Zygielbaum Fine Wines from Organic Vines 6320 Silverado Trail Napa, CA 94558 707.944.9090 RobertSinskey.com