Below is the article Susan & I authored for the local publication LocalFlavor's SantaFe Wine&Chile Fiesta issue that just hit the newstands:
The Meritage Alliance & It's Wines
Tom Hill/Susan Clough
What is generally red, sometimes white, concocted thoughtfully in 23 states and on 5 continents from a set cast of characters,
then affixed with a moniker which rhymes with heritage? You bettcha! That would be Meritage, a proprietary term coined to denote
red and white blended wines produced outside the Bordeaux appellations.
With the repeal of Prohibition, “The Noble Experiment”, the fledgling, but flagging California wine
industry revved its nascent engines to meet the booming demand. At the time, Bordeaux was the big cheese
wine producer with Cabernet Sauvignon as its primary grape.
These California wines were generally labeled Claret, the British term for Red Bordeaux. With the advent of varietal labeling in the mid-50s,
use of the term Claret fell by the wayside as the wines were most often labeled simply Cabernet Sauvignon. Use of Claret on a label is now forbidden.
In Bordeaux, it is very rare to have a wine that is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Joining that grape as
primary players in the production of Red Bordeaux are Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot and Malbec,
each offering desirable qualities, which come together in the magic synergy known as Bordeaux.
In the late '60's, California vintners hopped further onto the French bandwagon and recognized the value
in planting these "lesser" Bordeaux varieties, especially Merlot.
As the use of these other varieties increased, winemakers often dropped the amount of Cabernet in the
blend below the 75% minimum for a varietal label. What to call the wine? The use of the simple term
"Red Wine" on the label did little to convey the quality of the wine in these blends.
In 1988, a group of vintners put their noggins together in an attempt to coin a name for these quality
Bordeaux-style blends. They sponsored a contest and, voila, they selected....Meritage, a combination of
"merit" and "heritage". It is pronounced to rhyme with "heritage", though the faux-French pronunciation that
rhymes with "garage" is often mistakenly used, even by the most wine savvy consumer.
The “merit” connotes the high quality of the wine achieved by the wine maker’s selection of top notch
grapes which he blends to express his desired vision of the end result. The “heritage” refers to the
century’s old Bordeaux tradition of blending wines.
So...what is a Meritage wine?? Simply put, a wine that is a blend of the five noble Bordeaux
reds; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. Also allowed are the very rare
varieties of St.Macaire, Gros Verdot, and Carmenere.
Meritage also comes in white. It is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and the rather rare
Sauvignon Vert, unrelated to the other Sauvignon. It is, in fact, the variety known as
Friuliano in the Friuli region of northwest Italy. The white Meritages are much less common than their red
counterparts.
To make a wine that can be labeled Meritage, a winery must blend from the “allowed” varietals, using at
least two, with no one grape comprising more than 90% of the blend and must be a member of the Meritage
Alliance (http://www.MeritageAlliance.com). This loose alliance of mostly California wineries, plus wineries from
22 other states, also has members from France, Israel, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Canada, and Australia.
When a member winery makes a Meritage, the winery pays a per-case fee to the Alliance.
Current count of domestic Meritage Alliance members lists a tad over 260 wineries.
The current President of the Meritage Alliance is Kim Stare Wallace, of Dry Creek Vineyards.
Dry Creek's original owner/winemaker, Dave Stare, was one of the founders of the MA. He was the first to use
Meritage on a label with his '85 blend.
The first President of the MA was Michaela Rodeno, serving in that position for over a decade. Because of
Dry Creek's strong and long-time committment to the program, Kim was elected President three years ago.
Kim has been active in attempting to raise the profile of the MA and Meritage wines; in a sense to relaunch
the Meritage brand. The MA web site was redesigned. There are plans to hold a large tasting of Meritage
wines in San Francisco next year for consumers.
Kim's task is not an easy one. Many consumers have no clue what the term Meritage actually means; it has
little cachet. More knowledgeable consumers vaguely recognize that it is some sort of a Cabernet-based blend.
Wine retailers seem equally confused. Sometimes Meritage wines are racked alongside the Cabernets and
Merlots. Other times, they're given their own Meritage section. Oftentimes, they're merely dumped together
with other California blended wines.
So what should the consumer expect when face to face with Meritage on the label? Dry Creek Vineyard's
Bill Smart, treasurer for the MA emphasizes "Meritage is NOT a Bordeaux blend. It is a blended wine of
Bordeaux varieties, done in the tradition of Bordeaux". That is a subtle but important distinction if
Meritage wines are to establish an identity separate from Bordeaux wines.
Each member winemaker, using the palette of wines avialable to him, works to blend a wine that is the
best he can possibly make from those components; a wine that is truly greater than the sum of its parts.
These winemakers will sweat bullets, often over several month's time, trying to craft a blend that is
harmonious and balanced, but ageable. It is a talent that takes years of experience to master.
Dry Creek Vineyards is one of California's most ardent advocates of Meritage wines. In fact, from the
get-go in 1972, founder Dave Stare has always used blending of other Bordeaux-based varieties to enhance
the quality of his Cabernet-based wines. Their Meritage always represented the best red wine they produce.
Recently, the second generation of Stares have added a high-end Meritage blend to their tableau, The
Mariner, crafted from the very best of their hillside vineyards and given additional aging in their cellar
before release. Given Dry Creek Vineyard's success over the years with Sauvignon Blanc, it would seem that
a White Meritage would also be a natural in their portfolio.
Closer to home, Casa Rondena has long fashioned a Meritage blend. Owner John Calvin has sculpted this
wine into one of the finest reds made in New Mexico.
This year, for the first time, the Meritage Alliance will be represented at the Santa Fe Wine&Chile Fiesta.
Pouring will be Alliance executive director Jane Young, along with Susie Bynum. They will pour St.Supery
White, Ehret Family, Dry Creek Vineyard The Mariner, Topel Le Mariage, St.Helena Road Winery Maier Family
Vineyard, Ironstone Reserve, Casa Nuestra, Casa Rondena, Guenoc, and Promenade Le Joyeuse Harmonie.
Many of these wines have never before appeared in New Mexico.
Saturday's Grand Tasting event offers Fiesta-goers probably the best opportunity they will ever have to
sample such a variety of Meritage wines; to decide for themselves if, indeed, these blends do "merit" their
attention.
And... then... they can wander over to some of the importer's tables to try their Bordeauxs. We can
probably teach those Bordelais a thing ot two about blending wines.