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Peter Wagner |
Meridian is a large
operation headquartered in St. Helena, CA, which is in the northern end
of the Napa Valley. However, their major vineyards are in the Paso
Robles area. Their wines tend to be blends from many regions. Their goal
is approachable, affordable, straightforward wines and generally they
have achieved that objective year after year, which is why I have chosen
to focus this column on their current wines. Here goes:
2005 Meridian Chardonnay ($6). This has always been their flagship wine
in my opinion, and this current vintage is no exception. It is the best
of the six wines in this column, and tastes like a $20 or more effort.
The nose is tropical (as usual for Meridian), with some nice citric
tones to balance the ripe fruit aromas. The palate follows in kind -
forward tropical fruit with lemon, almost sweet/sour sense (i.e., almost
pineapple) with excellent but not biting acid. Mouthfeel is viscous but
by no means buttery. The oak is there (vanilla) but what is especially
nice is that the oak is not dominant. A good, quite long finish. This
wine is tasty and fairly rich and appealing, but it is not very complex.
2005 Meridian Sauvignon Blanc ($6). This is NOT New Zealand style wine,
so if you are hooked on NZ, forget it. This wine has nice melon and
grapefruit aromas, and a palate that is similar. There is no oak. It is
clean, dry, a bit generic, and has a short slightly bitter finish, at
least until the wine warms up a bit towards room temperature. It is a
fine party wine, but not of the quality of the above Chardonnay.
2005 Meridian Pinot Grigio ($6). This wine has a decent nose with notes
of lemon, melon and, especially, nectarine. The palate is a bit
different with fair but not opulent quince (similar to pear) leading
lemon and nectarine flavors. There is a short, slightly hard finish. The
overall impression is mediocre, but at this price, it’s worth a try if
you like the variety or just want to see what California Pinot Grigio
(aka Pinot Gris) is like.
2005 Meridian Pinot Noir ($11). Note the price - that’s what movies do
to wine prices. The nose is “OK” but not interesting. You can tell it is
Pinot by the cherry and spicy oak aromas. The sour cherry palate is a
bit thin, and needs more fruit intensity. Tartness shows, along with
spicy oak and some tobacco flavors. Mouthfeel is light and the wine is a
bit thin. If only it had more cherry fruit. It does open a bit in the
glass, but is still not that great. Surprisingly, the rest of the very
same bottle when tasted at room temperature the next day after being in
the frig 24 hours was quite a bit better, with more fruit and viscosity.
2004 Meridian Cabernet Sauvignon ($6). This is a strange wine. It is in
a word very “berryish,” but I cannot identify the grape or what berry.
Nose is cherry, slightly nutty and herbal. The palate is quite forward
and rich, but the flavor is “berry”-unidentifiable to me. The fruit is
very ripe, a bit spicy, with vanilla and slight tobacco. It has fair
acidity, yet comes across as lush and almost sweet. The tannins are
soft, and the length is reasonable. This wine was also as approachable
the second day, but it all comes down to whether you like “berry” wine,
lush and fruity as it may be. At this price, why not see if you like it?
2004 Meridian Merlot ($6). Not wholly dissimilar from the Cabernet
above: again, “berryish”! There is cherry and vanilla on the nose with a
bit of cashew nut. The palate is ripe and juicy berries” with a touch of
spice, light tannin and medium acid. It has medium light body, and lacks
any depth or complexity. It, too, lasted into the second day without
deteriorating. A simple wine with generic flavors, but again, we all
have different tastes and you may love it.
In sum, the Chardonnay is right on target, but the five other wines,
while easy to drink, have flaws or odd features that will keep me
continuing to look for the perfect bargain.
Additional wines:
Foxglove 2005 Edna Valley Chardonnay ($10). This is a light, refreshing,
crisp wine, and is not heavy, over-oaked or buttery. Just the thing for
warm summer evenings. By all means serve it a bit colder than usual.
Nose and palate both are mainlycitrus and green apple with some tropical
fruit as well. Acidity is very good, making it crisp and refreshing. Oak
is in the background – touch of vanilla. Clean, balanced with good
length, it is not the most complex or rich wine but a very good value in
its style.
2-UP 2005 South Australian Shiraz ($9). This one will blow you away if
you like your Oz Shiraz rich, tasty, balanced, soft and cheap. Bright
plum and cherry nose with light vanilla oak. The palate is a rush of
ripe, rich fruit (blueberry, cherry, plum), and the vanilla stays in the
background as do the soft tannins. Acidity is excellent, giving the wine
a brightness to balance the rich ripe fruit. Length is also very good.
Dangerously easy to drink. Why the low price? It has limited structure
and thus will probably last only a couple of years. But who cares?
Seghesio 2005 Sonoma Zinfandel ($16). This is the “bottom” of the
Seghesio Zin range, yet in some ways tastes better than all the others
at half the price. It has been reliable year after year, but 2005 is the
best for some time in my book. This is a very, very good wine. Pure Zin
raspberry/cherry and briar nose with some vanilla and a hint of tobacco.
It does take about 15 minutes to open properly once poured into the
glass, but worth the wait. The palate is pure, intense, ripe lush fruit
that seems sweet at first, but is not (finishes quite dry) but there is
good structure with excellent acid and medium tannins. It is full
bodied, clean, and is actually elegant (by which I mean has lots of good
stuff without the sense that every last element, such as tannins and
bitter seed flavors, had to be squeezed out of the grapes to get decent
fruit intensity). There is dill from the American oak, but the fruit
leads the oak throughout. Very nice finish, there is nothing bad to say
about this one. Except I don’t see how it could get better, so if you
buy some, drink soon. But, don’t forget the 15 minutes to breathe in the
glass after pouring.
Castle Rock 2005 central coast Pinot Noir ($9). Castle Rock pinot has
become eagerly awaited each year since it first showed up a few years
back – because it was always great value. The 2005 version lives up to
its past. Very nice varietal black cherry fruit, not too much oak or
spice, just a light presence that adds complexity. The wine is supple
and viscous with medium light tannin and softer acids that makes the
wine easy to drink. The finish is good, and overall I find this a much
more attractive wine than the same-priced Mark West 2005 Pinot. Both are
quite widely available, so why not try them side by side and decide for
yourself? For $9 you don’t get a wine that will last too long, but
well-stored I think this will go 4-5 years before breaking down. |
