Another Milestone for Meritage Wines

In observance of the 20^th anniversary, a number of us founding members staged a tasting spanning three decades for selected members of the wine media. It was an interesting assortment of wines, as well as producers. Dry Creek Vineyard, St. Supery, Cosentino, and Franciscan were represented as well as newcomer, Casa Nuestra. We all had one thing in common: the overall philosophy that wines blended from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, or Malbec (for a red blend) or Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Sauvignon Vert (for a white) can be combined to make an outstanding and memorable blend. Sound like a bunch of marketing mumbo jumbo? Wrong.

I had the oldest wine, pouring our first vintage, the 1985 Meritage. I also brought the 1994 vintage, as well as our newest blend, the 2004 Mariner.

The ’94s were across the board, full of life and absolutely delicious. Every single one of them was complex and rich and proof that a great vintage combined with artful blending can be exquisite. I can't wait to try them again in another 10 years. My 1985 vintage was still elegant and supple with subtle tones of cherry, rose petal, and rosemary. It is going through the “Porcelana” stage—still beautiful but showing some age spots. So if you happen to have a bottle, I’d crack it open and toast the 20^th anniversary of Meritage. The 2004 Mariner was a showstopper with years of aging potential ahead.  No botox needed for this one!

Anyway, it was fun to participate and even more fun to meet the lively group of characters who attended. Check out Wall St. Journal writer, Julia Flynn Siler’s blog at www.juliaflynnsiler.com/blog, to learn more about her impressions of this historic tasting.