Behind the Cork™ - Lyeth Meritage Red Blend

2014 Lyeth Meritage Sonoma Red Blend ($26)

Lyeth (“Leeth”) Estate was created in 1981 by founder Chip Lyeth who was captivated by the Bordeaux style of wine blending to achieve the most intriguing, inspiring wines.

And a Bordeaux blend this one is indeed. This Meritage (rhymes with Heritage) is produced from 41% Petit Verdot, 27% Malbec, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 2% Carnénère and 1% Merlot.

This wine is medium purple in color and has notes of black cherry, plum and violets along with hints of sweet tobacco, some earthiness and oak.

I was expecting a big, bold and tannic wine. But, this 2014 Meritage has had some time to soften with age.

On the palate it’s steady in its profile with soft tannin and, surprisingly, a bigger finish of jammy fruit.

This Lyeth Meritage is part of the Boisset Collection of wines owned by Jean-Charles Boisset. His parents founded the family winery in 1961 and today the family collection includes wineries that share more than 20 centuries of combined winemaking heritage and tradition in some of the world’s most prestigious terroirs, from Burgundy to the South of France, to California’s Napa Valley and Russian River Valley. 

If you are looking for a nice Bordeaux-style red wine, at a very affordable price, be sure to look for Lyeth Sonoma Meritage. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week

Lyeth 2013 Meritage ($10)

This Meritage from Lyeth is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.  The name "Meritage" was created in 1988 when U.S. wine makers decided to form an alliance and a name for their blended wines. By blending the words 'Merit' for having worth, and 'Heritage' for the Bordeaux style of wine making, they created a new word, Meritage. But instead of making this blend sound like a French wine, they insisted that Meritage be pronounced like the word heritage.  This Meritage from Lyeth is a nice example of a traditional Bordeaux blend.

What is Meritage Wine?

Have you ever come across a wine labeled as Meritage and wondered what it is? It's made in the U.S. where you can dependably know what a wine is because the label will tell you the grape varietal used to make the wine.  But this U.S. made wine seems to fall into the category of many European wines; the label does not directly tell you the grapes used in the wine's production. And for good reason.

Old World wines, especially those of France, are named for regions. Regions where only certain grapes are allowed to be grown. Additionally, there are regions, such as Bordeaux, where the wines are blends of these controlled grapes. And, as you may know, these Bordeaux blends have done rather well in the world market.

Blended wines have been made for years in the U.S., but their labels had to say generic things like "Red Blend" or "Table Wine."  Not nearly as sophisticated sounding as a Bordeaux. So, in 1988, U.S. wine makers decided to form an alliance and create a name for their blended wines. They decided on blending two words: 'Merit,' for having worth, and 'Heritage' for the Bordeaux style of wine making. Thus the new word 'Meritage.'  But, instead of making it sound like it is a French wine, they insisted that it be pronounced to rhyme with the word heritage.

Red Meritage can be blended from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenère. White Meritage is produced from Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle du Bordolais.  So these blends rely on the traditional Old World Noble grapes yet gives U.S. wine maker's their own name for their blends.

Don't skip over this wine just because its label doesn't tell you what it is.  The label actually does tell you what grapes may be used. But most importantly, it allows wine makers the freedom to blend their own very unique creations from a common set of grapes. Cheers!