I must admit it, I cheated a little bit tonight. I took the Blackstone Merlot down to the kitchen while cooking the most delicious BBQ Chicken Pizza. My God, I have to tell you, this is one of the most amazing little meals I have made for myself. I am very much looking forward to perfecting it; it was one of those wonderful shots in the dark we all try from time to time that came out PERFECTLY!
I will tell you that I made the final call for the Merlot while reading the latest issue of TIME and the chicken was baking in the oven. It is that decision that has me sipping the Blackstone while finishing this delightful meal. Yes, the Blackstone goes very well with a good meal, but it is NOT the chosen Merlot in the Cork Belly Wine Challenge.
No, the chosen Merlot is most definitely Red Bicyclette. As I said last night, it is just a fun little wine, which makes it a perfect Merlot for the purposes of this little challenge.
But looking back over the other Merlots in the Challenge, I wanted to give my personal comments on each of the four lesser candidates.
YellowTail
I would not turn down an invitation to crack open a bottle of Yellow Tail Merlot. It was a delightfully sweet Merlot that would be well served to be shared among friends. Grab one of the larger bottles, and make a night of it!
Smoking Loon
Basically, I found that this competition came down to two types of Merlots, the sweet and fruity vs. the intense flavors. Smoking Loon definitely had a strong flavor, but there were two that came out ahead in that department; namely Mirassou and Blackstone.
Mirassou & Blackstone
If you are serving food and want a Merlot, I would select either of these two wines. I'd lean more towards the Mirassou, but you can't do wrong either way. Their strong flavor will complement many a fine meal.
Now that we have our Merlot, it is time to move on to our next varietal, Cabernet Sauvignon.
I have also decided to change things up a little in our next competition. I had five wines in the Merlot challenge, and it admittedly made things difficult. You might remember that I essentially dismissed Smoking Loon after it took the first round. No biggie really, but I would rather work with an even number of wines moving forward. That said, I am removing YellowTail from further competitions.
I do this for three reasons:
1. YellowTail, while a perfectly respectable wine, is a tad too readily available. When you can find a wine in a gas station, it is time to pull back your marketing . . . just a bit.
2. Because it has a wine in all of the three varietals that remain (Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah/Shiraz), it made it very easier to remove it than trying to knock out a different winemaker in each varietal. I'm essentially killing three birds with one stone.
3. The Cork Belly Challenge needs a follow-up, and a romp through the offerings of YellowTail fits the bill quite nicely.
Now to the four competitors:
Black Opal
Blackstone
Mirassou
Smoking Loon
See you with a nice Cabernet . . .
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