The Heritage of Meritage Gaining Gravitas

California winemakers were mad as hornets back in 1985. Government regulators mandated that wines with less than 75 percent of a particular grape be labeled "table wine." How positively poopy of those government suits! Didn't they realize that winemakers the world over emulated the traditions of France’s Bordeaux wine region, which takes the blending of several grape varieties to artistic if not religious levels?

Apparently not, as American winemakers—including those whose wines rarely reach the three-quarter threshold needed put a varietal name on the label—still must abide by the 75 percent rule.

Regulations that reduced the handicraft of artisan winemakers to the level of artificially flavored, fortified swill would not do. Swift, meaningful action was in order. So, meetings were called, caucuses were caucused, contests were conducted and three years later the Meritage Association, dedicated to wines blended in the Bordeaux style, was incorporated.

To say the Meritage moniker (a registered trademark that member wineries must pay to use) caught on like wildfire would be a vast overstatement. The association's early years were marked by squabbling and bitterness. Some member wineries chose their own proprietary names over the Meritage term. Iconic wineries such as Opus One and Joseph Phelps with its Insignia passed on membership and diminished the association's credibility. The result was a fair amount of stagnation for the group and confusion for the consumers.

Still, Meritage (rhymes with heritage) stalwarts got the word out that domestic winemakers were doing something special with their blends. Today, there is at least a marginal understanding of the term by the general wine consumer. A number of enlightened restaurants and wine shops have carved out sections dedicated to Bordeaux-style wines using the shorthand Meritage designation.

To celebrate the Meritage Association's 20th anniversary, I put together a flight of 18 Bordeaux-style blends for a blind tasting. More than half the wines were Meritage members and most of the rest would be eligible to join the club, meaning they adhere to the association's rules that wines be a blend of at least two of the noble Bordeaux varieties, which in case you forgot are: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, malbec, petit verdot, gross verdot and carmenère. And no one grape can comprise more than 90 percent of the blend.

I invited Joe Truex, the wine-loving chef-owner of Repast; Gina Hopkins, wine director-owner of Restaurant Eugene; and Katie Kelly Bell, an Atlanta-based food, wine and travel writer, to taste the wines one morning at Truex's restaurant.

Joker that I am, I couldn’t resist putting a few ringers in the mix to make things interesting. Ringer no. 1: An actual Bordeaux, the merlot-based 2004 Lassègue. Ringer two: the 2004 Engelbrecht Els Vineyards, Proprietor’s Blend from South Africa. Ringers three, four and five: the 2005 Veramonte, Primus, from Chile; the 2005 Craggy Range, Te Hahu, from New Zealand; and the 2004 St. Francis Winery, Red, from Sonoma County, Calif., a $13 bottle that blended in a little syrah with the cab and merlot.

Everyone pegged the St. Francis Red for what it was: not bad, but out of its class. The Primus ($21) did not fair much better. Gina said it was herbacous and bitter from start to finish. Truex dubbed (and we all agreed) the Lassègue ($50) as the “mocha-chino wine” for its overwhelming aromas of chocolate and coffee. Most of us liked the Craggy Range ($27) for its enjoyable spicy, red berry flavors and its aging potential.

The surprise of the tasting was that Engelbrecht Els ($37) — a project of pro golfer Ernie Els — was the hands-down winner. Hopkins called it sophisticated. Truex said it was complex and harmonious. Bell described an elegant, silky wine with aromas and flavors of cedar, dark berries and chocolate.

Although none of us are prejudiced against South African wines, we were all taken aback a little that a South African wine could rise above American stars such as Napa Valley's Quintessa, Chateau St. Jean's Cinq Cépages, St. Supéry's Élu, Rodney Strong's Symmetry and Flora Springs' Trilogy.

Another surprise came with everyone's first sip. When we think of Bordeaux or Meritage wines, our minds automatically think red-colored juice. However, Bordeaux makes fine white wines based on blends of sémillon, sauvignon blanc and muscadelle. The Meritage Association also sanctions white wines that use these varietals. And there could be no better example of this style than with the 2006 St. Supéry, Virtú ($28).

I merely brought this one white with to wash off the toothpaste in our mouths and wake up our palates. It ended up dominating our conversation, as we periodically heaped platitudes upon it for the duration of our 2 1/2 hour exercise. In fact, we rewarded ourselves with a glass of the white after the tasting was over, preferring the Virtú over the 16 other, mostly outrageously expensive bottles of red wine.

Truex waxed poetic over the Virtú’s balance, tart fruit flavors and tongue-coating viscosity. Katie and Gina described it as “feminine” with flavors of apricot, orange blossoms, grapefruit and minerals. We all had a pity party lamenting the lack of white Bordeaux and white Meritage wines in the market.

“In Atlanta, where heat is a summer phenomenon, those wines should be in everyone's fridge," Bell said. “These unsung, stepchildren of Bordeaux definitely warrant more attention.”

“I always have a Bordeaux blanc or Bordeaux blanc-style wine on my list. I love the danky, petrol nose and peachy fruit that is a bit fleshy in your mouth with a dry finish,” Truex said. “Can you say Château Haut Brion Blanc [from Bordeaux]? Had this wine once and it changed me forever.”

My Meritage tasting was meant to determine the state of red domestic Bordeaux-style wines, but it was upstaged by a South African and a white wine. We all agreed that Bordeaux-style wines, whether it says Meritage on the label or not, do represent some of the best winemaking going on today, but they retain a lingering identity problem that the Meritage Association's efforts have yet to solve.

Truex summed it up best: “I believe that the state of Bordeaux blends from the U.S. and around the world show an enormous range of potential and quality across the board. In the right place and the right hands, these wines can rival some of the best wines of Bordeaux. However, without the word ‘Bordeaux’ on the label, they are perceived as just red blends. And from a consumer perspective, it is a bit harder to understand and requires a trained sales staff to get people to try it.”