Hahn Central Coast Meritage 2006
I was recommending this as a special best buy back at the time, a complex full bodied fruit forward
Meritage for under $20, a rare find indeed. Interestingly, they released it as a Meritage as opposed to a Cabernet or simply Red Wine. The reason this is notable and unique is that as I understand it, the term Meritage, is trademarked by the
Meritage Alliance, a consortium of over 350 producers, and hence subject to licensing.
Meritage, oft mispronounced, rhymes with hermitage, and does not carry the 'ahh with a soft 'j''. Meritage is the term applied to a
Bordeaux Blend, the combination of Bordeaux varietal grapes -
Cabernet Sauvignon and or
Merlot predominating with highlights of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot or some other lesser varietals in the blend. But, of course, only wines produced in the French Bordeaux region can carry the Bordeaux moniker, hence Meritage was coined for such wines produced in America (or elsewhere). And to maintain the exclusivity or distinction, the term is only available for use under license. Hence its rare to find a label at this price point since it doesn't allow the margin to carry the additional burden of the license fee. Indeed, even many high priced American Bordeaux Blends avoid the license fee and label their wines as simple 'Red Wine' or 'Red Wine Blend'. Some producers will use the historic term 'Claret' that dates back to the 1700's, the name used by the British for red wines from the Bordeaux region of France, or wines in the Bordeaux style.
According to the
Meritage Alliance, "Meritage, pronounced like heritage, first appeared in the late
1980s after a group of American vintners joined forces to create a
name for New World wines blended in the tradition of Bordeaux. In wine terms, the traditional historic wine regions such as Italy, France and Portugal, where they've been cultivating varietal grapes and crafting wines for centuries, are referred as the 'Old World', while the 'New World' refers to regions that have started and popularized the practice in the twentieth century, such as America, Australia, South Africa and South America.
The
word
Meritage was selected from more than 6,000 entries in an international
contest. Meritage combines "merit," reflecting the quality of the
grapes, with "heritage," which recognizes the centuries-old
tradition of blending, long considered to be the highest form of
the winemaker's art.
Meritage wines are growing in popularity and are currently the
second fastest growing wine category in the industry. They are
highly regarded for their aging potential, yet are completely
approachable in their youth.
Many Meritage wines have proprietary names in addition to, or
rather than, Meritage. In order to obtain a license and use the
term Meritage on a label, a wine must meet certain criteria."
According to the Meritage Alliance in reference to the official designation, "A Red Meritage is a blend of two or more of the red "noble"
Bordeaux varieties - Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec,
Merlot, Petit Verdot and the rarer St. Macaire, Gros Verdot and
Carmenère. If the blend includes any other grape variety, it is, by
definition,
not a Meritage. Also, to qualify as a
Meritage, no single grape variety can make up more than 90% of the
blend."
We bought a lot of this 2006 vintage release at the time and enjoyed it as our every day drinking red wine. Several friends adopted this wine as well. This is the last remaining bottle from that era and as such it was time to drink, showing its age and clearly being at the mature end of its drinking window. Still it was good tonight with pizza.
Hahn Central Coast Meritage 2006
Hahn Family wines produce a wide range of wines. Hahn is the German term for Rooster which adorns the label, named after the proprieter's ancestry. This is a high
QPR - quality price ratio red wine blend of Bordeaux varietal grapes. Showing its age, the dark berry fruit is showing at over ripe with taste of raisins with hints of tobacco and leather as the fruit starts to subside. Still dark blackish purple, medium to full bodied with hints of oak, its time to drink up.
RM 87 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=462555
http://www.hahnwinery.com/
Branson Coach House Barossa Valley Single Vineyard Greenock Block Shiraz 2004 
The Sémillon is a full bodied, heavy, low acidity grape that when held on the vine to full ripeness results in high sugar sweetness for thick syrupy almost oily textured dessert wines that have long aging potential. They are great for sipping with cheese, chocolates, salads or hearty cake desserts. Along with Sauvignon blanc and Muscadelle,
Sémillon is one of only three approved white wine varieties in the
Bordeaux region that is also popular in Australia. The grape is also key to the production of sweet wines
such as Sauternes or in this case, Barossa Valley botrytis semillon.
Dark ruby colored, medium to full bodied, bright forward blackberry and blackcurrant fruits with spice, hints of vanilla and oak on a long with fine-grained tannin finish.
Readers of this blog know we collect and favor Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot) from the US and France, and to a lesser degree Shiraz. That said, we do not collect or focus on Italian varietals or producers. Hence, for lasagna dinner at home, we pulled from the cellar this Sangiovese (Italian varietal) blend from California Napa Valley. 
I don't know if it was the contrast in style, indication of the vintage, or just a closed period in the aging of this wine, but the Hardy's Eileen Hardy Shiraz was overshadowed by the bold bright vibrant Constant Cab Franc. The metaphor I often use to describe such a contrast is one is a foot wide and four inches deep (Hardy), while the other (Constant) is four inches wide and a foot deep!
For son Ryan's birthday we ordered bar-b-q from Q Bar-b-q in Naperville - slabs of ribs and pulled pork. We prepared our own sides, mac and cheese, corn, and brussel sprouts in a cranberry sauce. To compliment the meal we pulled from the cellar two Bogle Zinfandels - Phantom and Essential Red. Zinfandel was the perfect compliment to the tangy, sweet and spicy bar-b-q variations. 
We visited the Virginia wine country a couple years ago when I kept a second residence in Washington DC during the week to support my work there. We visited the western reaches beyond Fairfax, but didn't get down to the Central Virginia region. Even then, we found Cabernet Franc to be the highest achieving Bordeaux varietal in our tastings, which is the core of this selection.
.bmp)
