Napa Valley Merlots to beat out Cabernets?

Cab vs. Merlot, or Cab/Merlot collaboration?

For years, Cabernet Sauvignon has been Napa’s most-planted grape variety. Indeed, these prized vines cover most of Napa County’s 40,000+ vineyard acres, representing 49.3 percent of all 2006 Napa Valley winegrape acreage. However, last year, Cabernet Sauvignon accounted for 56,247 tons of Napa Valley’s winegrape harvest, down a rather significant 13% from the record 2005 harvest.

Merlot, with a production of 27,042 tons and selling for an average of $2,691 per ton - more than doubling some 2005 sales - surpassed Chardonnay last year as the second-most planted variety. Some may find that statistic surprising, but Merlot sales — which have suffered in previous years — are on the rebound. David Whitmer, Napa County’s agricultural commissioner, remarks, “It’s amazing how much the movie industry can influence the wine industry.” Whitmer of course refers to the 2004 movie “Sideways,” which most of us know had a less-than-positive spin on drinking Merlot.

Despite last year’s fall in Cabernet Sauvignon production and the general rise in the production of Merlot, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is still the top dog, being nearly synonymous with Napa Valley itself. And although Merlot is enjoyable as a varietal wine, it is considered to be most successful when blended with Cabernet Sauvignon. After all, it is Cabernet Sauvignon which contributes the structure, depth of flavor, and ageability that Merlot often lacks. So while many vintners are creating excellent Cab-Merlot blends these days, don’t expect Merlot to edge out Cabernet Sauvignon as the new Napa Valley king of grapes, weatherwise or otherwise.

Mr. Whitmer says it remains to be seen how the dry winter of 2007 will affect the 2007 crop report, and suggests that near-term rainfall and weather conditions will challenge grape growers with their irrigation needs. “The next few weeks are going to be critical in that regard,” says Whitmer.

In the meantime, look for tasting notes covering six Napa Valley Merlots, coming next month to Winehiker Witiculture.

Sources: SFGate.com, The Napa Valley Register

~winehiker

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 26th, 2007 at 3:06 pm and is filed under grape squeezins. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.