Merlot, with its approachable fruit flavors, moderate tannins, sensual texture, balanced acidity, and diversity of styles, is one of my go-to red wines because of its versatility at the table!
October is International Merlot Month! Merlot Month unites passionate wine lovers in a worldwide movement to celebrate the world’s second-most planted grape.
This year makes the 6th anniversary of our Wine Pairing Weekend group’s collaboration with MerlotMe wineries! We’ll be posting and sharing our love for Merlot and food pairings throughout the month of October.
How to #MerlotMe:
- Get your hands on Merlot! Share online with #MerlotMe.
- Visit MerlotMe.com for the latest on events and offers, recipes, and follow participating wineries for Merlot news all month long.
- Visit your favorite winery and mention #MerlotMe for special offers and tastings.
- Download the #MerlotMe playlist on Spotify
- Join our Twitter on Saturday morning, October 10th at 11:00am EDT, 8:00am PDT. You’ll find us at the double hashtags of #MerlotMe and #WinePW. We love newcomers, so why not take this opportunity to join us in celebrating Merlot? You can always join the chat, even if you don’t have a blog.
Last year, I paired four Merlot with four meatless dishes. My motivation then and now, is expand not only my meatless meal dinner options, but also heighten my own awareness for the red wine pairings beyond meat.
What I learned from last year’s experience is that Merlot pairs well with tomato based dishes, roast vegetables (in particular mushrooms, and other fall veggies), and foods with a bit of spice such as Jambalaya.
Disclosure: I received these wines as media samples. I received no compensation for this post, and all opinions presented are my own.
The Wines And Pairings
2018 Longboard Vineyards Merlot Dakine Vineyard and One-Pot Lentil Bolognese
Longboard Vineyards was established in 1998 by Oded Shakked, who was born in Israel to family of German and Czech origins has lived and worked (and surfed) on four continents
Following his three years of mandatory military service in the IDF, Oded built surfboards for a living while taking numerous surf trips to the Atlantic coast of Europe (France, Spain, and Portugal). These trips and a family friend exposed him to grape growing and winemaking and eventually led him to enroll in the winemaking program at UC Davis, California, graduating with a BSc in Fermentation Science in 1988.
He interned at Domain Chandon in Napa and with Chateau Lafite-Rothschild in Bordeaux before accepting a position at Jordan Vineyards and Winery in Healdsburg (Sonoma County). In 1990, he became head winemaker for “J Vineyards & Winery” where he stayed for eighteen years, developing their sparkling wine, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris and Chardonnay programs. Longboard Vineyards was born in 1998 as a hobby winery and became a full time endeavor in 2005. He owns and lives on Longboard’s Estate vineyard and grows about twenty percent of the grapes used to craft their wines.
Tasting Note:
Translucent ruby color with black cherry, black currant, plum, violets, sandalwood and dried herb aromas. On the palate it’s medium-bodied with well-integrated fine-grained tannins, balanced acidity and a supple mouthfeel with delicious black cherry, black currant, plum, vanilla and dark chocolate flavors. It’s a field blend (the grapes are grown, harvested and fermented together) of 87% Merlot and 13% Malbec from their Dakine estate vineyard located in the Russian River Valley. The vineyard was planted in 1988 with budwood obtained from the famous”Three Palms” Merlot Vineyard in the Napa Valley. Raised in French Oak for 24 months. 14.5% abv|$SRP – $39
I paired this wine with One-Pot Lentil Bolognese, which has become one of our favorite meatless meals. I substituted Cremini for the White mushrooms called for in the recipe, and browned the tomato paste a bit to add some depth to the flavors. The wine paired wonderfully with the dish. What I appreciated about the pairing is that the Longboard showed a bit more ripe fruit flavors than the L”Ecole 41, and when paired with the Bolognese there was an appealing bit of savoriness to the wine that wasn’t there on its own.
2017 L’Ecole No. 41 Merlot Columbia Valley and Savory Winter Vegetable Cobbler with Cheesy Herbed Biscuits
L’Ecole N° 41 is a third generation family-owned, artisan winery located in the historic Frenchtown School depicted on their label. Founded in 1983, they were the third winery established in the Walla Walla Valley. Their focus is one producing ultra-premium, distinctive wines that reflect the unmistakable typicity of Washington State and the unique terroir of our Walla Walla Valley vineyards. They grow and make 100% of their wine. Recognized as one of the most honored wineries in Washington State, L’Ecole No. 41 has garnered national and international accolades over the years for producing superior quality wines. For example they have been recognized by Wine & Spirits Magazine as a Top 100 Winery of the Year fifteen times.
Tasting note:
Translucent ruby color with black cherry, red plum, dried rose, dried earth, and subtle savory spice aromas. On the palate it’s medium-bodied, with mouth-watering acidity and fine-grained tannins with black cherry, red plum, cacao, and a combination of baking and savory spice flavors which impart very appealing savory notes to this wines satisfying finish. Blend of 81% Merlot/14% Cabernet Franc/3% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot. Raised in small oak barrels, 30% new for 18 months. 14.5% abv|SRP – $25.
The Savory Winter Vegetable Cobbler with Cheesy Herbed Biscuits is a new to me recipe. I substituted smoked harissa paste, and a bit of Sriracha for hot sauce called in recipe mostly because I thought I would enjoy it more, but I also thought getting a bit of smoky spice into the dish would make it a better pairing with the Merlot. It’s a great recipe (I really enjoyed the Cheesy Herbed Biscuits). A bit surprisingly, this likewise wonderful pairing was the inverse of the Longboard pairing. The L’Ecole 41 Merlot has ample fruit, but also show some appealing savory bits. When paired with the dish it brought the wines fruity components into focus.
Takeaways
I love this event because it gives me an opportunity to drink more Merlot more than I otherwise would. It’s certainly influenced me to purchase more Merlot for my cellar. But my primary takeaway is that Merlot, with its approachable fruit flavors, moderate tannins, sensual texture, balanced acidity, and diversity of styles, has become one of my go-to red wines because of its versatility at the table!
Thank you L’Ecole 41 and Longboard Vineyards for the wonderful wines!
Check out my fellow Wine Pairing Weekend bloggers are dishing up with their Merlot. You’re bound to find a pairing or three you’ll want to try!
- Andrea at The Quirky Cork shares “MerlotMe with Three Turkish Merlots“
- Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Merlot: A Varietal That Plays Well with Others“
- Cindy at Grape Experiences shares “Sip Memorable Merlot with Classic Vegetarian Favorites“
- Deanna at Asian Test Kitchen shares “Fall Vegan Menu Paired with 2016 Napa Merlots“
- David at Cooking Chat shares “Merlot Food Pairing: Tips and Favorites“
- Gwendolyn at Wine Predator shares “Meatloaf and #MerlotMe with Sonoma’s Selby and Columbia Valley’s L’Ecole No. 41“
- Jane at Always Ravenous shares “Merlot Pairing: Baked Pasta with Sausage Ragù“
- Jeff at Food Wine Click! shares “A Tale of Two Merlots at the Grill“
- Jill at L’Occasion shares “What’s So Special About Merlot?“
- Jennifer at Vino Travels shares “Fall is Here! Warm up with a Merlot and Pot Roast Pairing”
- Lauren at The Swirling Dervish shares “October is #MerlotMe Month: Here’s What I’ve Been Sipping“
- Linda at My Full Wine Glass shares “Kicking off #MerlotMe in the Pacific time zone”
- Liz at What’s in that Bottle? shares “Make Room for Merlot!“
- Lori at Exploring the Wine Glass shares “Leaves on the Ground and #MerlotMe in my Glass“
- Lynn at Savor the Harvest shares “Next Gen Merlot From Where It All Started“
- Nicole at Somms Table shares “5 #MerlotMe Nights“
- Payal at Keep the Peas shares “Kicking Off Autumn With #Merlotme”
- Pinny at Chinese Wine & Food Pairings shares “#MerlotMe with Markham and L’Ecole No. 41 Merlots and Army Ramen”
- Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles shares “Merlot from elegant to badass. Time to #Merlotme.”
- Rupal at Syrah Queen shares “#MerlotMe – Best Food Pairings For Merlot”
- Susannah at Avvinare shares “Brazilian Merlot Is Always Welcome At My Table”
- Terri at Our Good Life shares “Merlot Me with Noodless Lasagne“
- Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “Woohoooooooo….It is #MerlotMe month“
I like the focus on finding good meatless meals for Merlot! A good challenge that you have met with some tasty results! Love the sounds of the lentil bolognese, definitely will try.
Totally agree about Merlot being a reliable go-to. It’s so versatile with food and so diverse in style.
Two terrific pairings Martin. We are particularly partial to L’Ecole 41 — fantastic Merlot that we have been fans of for years. We’re especially interested as we are also incorporating more vegetarian meals into our lives…
Both of your dishes sound like a great way to embrace plant-based eating. We’re trying to do more of that these days but it’s been more of a challenge for Gabe. I think he’d love these and I look forward to trying them.
Six years participation and counting! Didn’t know the history of Shakked or Longboard but certainly remember tasting a few. Interesting how the savory notes came out when paired with the meatless Bolognese. That intrigued me, as does the dish. Any idea what in the dish could cause that?!?
I really need to research more meatless dishes. I love this suggestion!
Thank you for the recipe links and tips! These dishes both look delicious to pair with Merlot. That bolognese is likely to become a go-to in my house also!
Lentil bolognese sounds right up my alley! Thanks for the recipe. Enjoyed reading Oded Shakked’s bio.
I love how Merlot is such a great match for meatless meals!
I really enjoyed these two wines as well, and here you’ve given me some inspiration for new pairings. I love the idea of that savory cobbler.