Don't dismiss the varietal

Before we moved back to the area where my wife and business partner Mary Lancaster was raised to open The Dinner Party, we both worked at wineries, where we witnessed one of the amazing phenomena of the wine industry - which fortunately taught us one of the great lessons of enjoying great wine. That lesson is to never dismiss an entire varietal of grape.

The wineries where we worked both produced Merlot and Pinot Noir among other varietals at the time the Academy Award-nominated movie Sideways was released. While not quite immediate, the influence of the movie was felt and noticed quite quickly as Pinot Noir sales and prices started a long and relentless climb and Merlot sales and prices started an equally long, relentless and frustrating drop.

You see, the lead character in the movie, Miles, ripped Merlot and praised Pinot Noir. The unfortunate thing for wine consumers and, at the time, wine producers: It simply is not that straightforward. There are great producers, adequate producers and not very good producers of both wine varietals.

Even today, Merlot, and there are some spectacular ones made in Washington State, is a very tough sell. Pinot Noir is an easier sell, but as folks realize that not all Pinot is good Pinot, those sales have cooled some.

Merlot is one of the five original varietals from the Bordeaux region in France and the primary grape from the St. Emillion appellation. It, in short, is a fabulous grape that produces extraordinary wine when in the hands of a good winemaker. The climate in Washington is why it does so well there and in some areas of California also like the Napa and Sonoma Valleys.

So here are some specific recommendations from this area and others. The storied Leonetti cellars from Walla Walla actually started making Merlot before they did any other grape, and it shows. Their Merlot, while "spendy," is quite simply spectacular. Dunham Cellars in Walla Walla with Eric Dunham at the helm is also a great producer of Merlot. As a matter of fact, Eric refers to his Lewis Vineyard Merlot - which is as expensive and, in my opinion, as good as the Leonetti - as his "Sideways revenge" referring to the movie.

The Pride Mountain Vineyards Merlot from California rounds out the recommendations from the super premium category.

There are many made also that are more gently priced. Novelty Hill winery in Woodinville, Wash., produces a great one that retails for under $20 and is readily available. Casey McClellan, owner winemaker at Seven Hills Winery, is one of our very favorites in the area and he produces another great Merlot in the $20 neighborhood.

One of the really great deals and great bottles of Merlot available is the Boomtown Merlot, which is the second label from Washington State Winery of the year, Dusted Valley. Retailing for under $15 it is the steal of the entire lot.

One final note on Merlot, look for Merlot that is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, or Petite Verdot. The blending, when done properly, creates a wine with more richness and sophistication that you may like also.

Another varietal that has fallen out of favor recently is Chardonnay. As the American palate has evolved many have turned away from the overly-ripe and overly-oaked version of the wine so many of us started with. This is another case though of throwing out the idea of ever having another bottle of Chard just when things are turning for the varietal.

There are many winemakers who either are moving to Chardonnay fermented totally in stainless steel, and others who are moving to a European model with their Chard by picking the fruit when it is not quite so ripe, producing higher acids and crisper flavors. They then minimize the oak profile by using French Oak barrels that have 2 or 3 years of age on them, and reducing the time in barrel.

The Lynmar Chardonnay is an example of an oaked wine that is spectacular while maintaining great balance and restraint for $34. Boomtown we mentioned previously also has a great all stainless steel Chard that retails for $12 and is simply delicious. Finally, check out the Il Coure from California for $13 as another great choice of Chardonnay with oak, but restraint.

At the dinner party, we always try to encourage folks to try different wines even when they may be out of favor. There is good and not so good produced with every grape varietal, but you can definitely miss some great wine by dismissing an entire varietal as being past its prime. Next time you visit your favorite wine shop check out the Merlot and Chardonnay collections and you may just connect with some of your old favorites and reacquaint yourself with the wines you started with.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene, www.thedinnerpartyshop.com.