Deep and Dark (Serrett Oak-Aged Merlot 1999)

Name: pjs21

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Product:	Serrett Oak-Aged Merlot 1999
Date:	26/09/01 (62 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Smooth, Fruity, Drinkable

Disadvantages: Can't think of one

The Ardeche is a little mentioned part of France right next door to the vineyards of the Rhone. It is a jam-packed with Tourists during the summer who go there for the rivers and watersports, but is only full of locals the rest of the year. It was also where many small groups of French were hidden during the Second World War. I can vaguely remember visiting the caves in The Ardeche on a school trip when I was about 11, full of things that go up and things that hang down – you know the ones - and cave drawings. Blimey – had to root around for that memory!

The main red grapes grown in this area are Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot Carignan and Gamay; and for the whites Viognier, Marsanne, Clairette, Grenache Blanc and Chardonnay.

For this wine, we are going to look at the Merlot grape. Why? Because that's what it's made of. 100% Merlot, no mixes.

As I've mentioned in other ops, the Merlot is often used as a mix with other grapes, and very traditionally to pad out the Cabernet Sauvignon. But on it's own it makes lovely smooth and very fruity wine.

The Merlot is not produced only in France, it is widely used internationally and particularly in New World wines from Australia, Italy, Argentina, Chile etc.

It's deep rich and very fruity grape that is so full of flavour. Merlot is now so widely used that it is almost impossible not to find it in a supermarket or a off-licence.

The French have so many rules about wine that I'm going to put little bits into my ops now to help it all make a little more sense. There are rules about wine names, bottles used, labelling, quantities etc.
If I sound like a dull or pretentious git, I apologise now, I don't mean to!

The wine label on this bottle reads – Vin de pays coteaux de l'Ardeche – so what does this mean?

Well, it tells us that this is a Vin de pays wine from the The Ardech
e. Really, Paul, what makes you think that? Okay, so quite simple, but do you know what the difference is between Vin de pay and Vin de table? No, I never used to – so here is a rough guide to the differences of the main three types of French wine.

First of all, Vin de pays is nothing to scoffed at, it's the next step up from Vin de table. Vin de table is the lowest grade of wine defined by French Law, it cannot claim a specific origin and is usually sold under a brand name (Blue Nun for example – if that’s French?), it can only say country of origin: Produit de France, and is not allowed to use vintage dates or name the cellar.

Vin de pays form a separate group within the same category as Vin de table, though it is often regarded as having more in common with the AOCs (which I shall tell you all about in a mo!) They come from specific places and are made according to very strict rules. There are four regions within the titles – Vin de pays d'Oc (from the midi, the lower Rhone and Provence, Vin de pays du Jardin de la France (from the Loire Valley), Vins de Pay du Comte Tolosan (from the South-west France), and Vins de pays Comtes Rhodaniens (from the Northern Rhone and Savoie). The rules allow the producers to grow grapes that are not traditional to the area which would not be allowed in AOCs. They do have to grow traditional varieties too but can experiment, they may have to yield at least 10-20% of traditional varieties. There is a list of grapes they are permitted to grow.

Is this confusing?

Anyway, unlike Vin de table, Vin de Pays can state where it comes from and give a year. However, Vin de pays is not a wine you would want to keep for long, it is best to drink early.

AOC (said I'd get on to this). AOC stands for Appelation d'Origine Controlee. The AOCs are areas who make wine according to local criteria, there are around 450 of these in existence at the moment.
Once an AOC has been defined, the boundaries drawn and unsuitable land excluded, more rules are then put in place. The rules specify which grapes can be grown, how much wine can be produced and what strength it must or mustn’t reach. The grape varieties permitted are those which were in use when the AOC was set up. No other grapes are allowed to be grown or used. For example, Rhone Reds from Cornas have to be 100% Syrah, yet Chateauneuf which is in the same valley, no fewer than 3 different grapes can be used. Producers can apply for a licence to produce more wine, normally no more than 20%, but he must submit his wine for tasting and cannot declare surplus wine as Vin de table. AOCs also have many names and this is where we see terms like Premier Cru and Grand Cru. These are rated as the top wines.

There are others as well – Vins Delimites de Qualite (VDQS), Vins de liqueur, Vins doux naturel (VDNs), but they are for another time! If you're still here, well done!

And now for the wine I'm supposed to be reviewing:

So, to recap: This Merlot is a Vin de Pay (see above), it comes from The Ardeche near to the Rhone. It's a medium-full bodied wine which is really deep blacky-purple in colour, very very pleasing. Merlot has very plum-like taste and this is exactly what you can expect from this wine. It's very strong in flavour and oh so easy to drink. It goes perfectly with red meats like Lamb, Beef, and sorry to say it Venison. For the vegetarians amongst us it also goes beautifully with strong cheddar cheese, vegetable dishes and pasta. To be honest, you could pretty much drink it with anything. As I said above it's perfect for drinking now, but you can keep it if you want, but make sure you drink it within two years or it will actually start to deteriorate in flavour. It needs to be decanted to bring out the full flavour if you have one, but if not, open atleast an hour before you want to
drink it (the only down side to red wines is that some really need to breath before you drink them – this is one of them. So not one to drink on impulse.)

I know I probably sound like a real wine snob – but I'm not honest. I just love the stuff and like to spend time finding out about it. I promise you I'm not a plummy, red-cheeked bloke in a tweed jacket with a bucket to spit into – not that I would ever spit it out – what a waste of wine! Sorry if I’ve gone on a bit in this one.

Next time, just tell me shut it!

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