Kicking off #MerlotMe month with Napa Valley wine and lasagna soup (#winePW)

October is #MerlotMe month. Hooray! An entire month for tasting smooth, luscious and fruity Merlot, one of my favorite reds.

What better way to start the party than by tasting two wines from Markham Vineyards in California’s Napa Valley. Here are five reasons why Markham is kicking off my celebration of #MerlotMe month this year:

1. Markham is one of Napa Valley’s longest continually run wineries.
2. Merlot is Markham’s flagship wine.
3. Markham was one of the first California wineries to grow and specialize in Merlot. 
4. Winemaker Kimberlee Nicholls was one of the first female winemakers in the Napa Valley.
5. Markham is Napa Green Winery Certified.

You’re invited to join the Wine Pairing Weekend bloggers on Twitter this Saturday, 10/8, starting at 8 am PT/11 am ET, as we chat about all things Merlot and food pairings, too. Simply follow the #winePW hashtag.

Please note that while the wines for this post were provided, opinions are my own.

Brief history

Markham was founded in 1874 by Frenchman Jean Laurent, who left his Bordeaux home to join the Gold Rush in California and soon realized the potential of Napa Valley for grape growing. He built the stone cellar that remains at Markham today. By the end of the century, Laurent was one of the largest producers of California wine. He was an early adopter of new technology, crush equipment and oak cooperage not common in California at this time.

Moving ahead to the late 1970s, an Arizona businessman named Bruce Markham had some money to spare and decided to invest in 230 acres of vineyards across the Napa Valley, including Laurent’s old stone cellar winery. Markham, who served in the U.S. Navy, had a miniature cannon. Legend has it he would fire the cannon to mark the start of each harvest. In 1977, he established Markham Vineyards and hired Bryan Del Bondio as the winemaker.

Over the course of the next 42 years, Del Bondio earned a reputation for producing stellar wines. Markham released its first Merlot in 1980. In 1990, Wine Spectator named Markham’s vintage as “Merlot of the Year.” Nicholls joined Markham as an enologist in 1993 and was promoted to head winemaker in 2001. She now leads a team of women responsible for winemaking, viticulture and operations.

In 1997, another 150 acres were added to Markham’s holdings. The winery’s 260 acres of Napa Valley estate vineyards, extending from Calistoga in the north to Oak Knoll in the south, received Napa Green Land Certification in 2010. Three years later, in 2013, the winery received Napa Green Winery Certification.

Sustainability counts

For this opening salvo in the #MerlotMe cannon fire, I’m focusing on Markham’s Napa Green Winery Certification program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. More than 100 sustainability standards are used to grant a winery this certification. Here are the major ones that Markham cites on its website:

• Minimal till practices and broad use of cover crops to reduce erosion and runoff and maximize the land’s ability to absorb and store carbon in the ground.
• Recycling of grape pomace locally at a Green Certified waste management facility.
• Bee boxes to help keep the land pollinated, and cover crops between vineyard rows to attract beneficial insects.
• Specially engineered willow revetments at the Yountville and Calistoga vineyards to stop soil erosion and repair creek banks bordering the vineyards.
• Reclaiming of winery wastewater for irrigation in the vineyards.
• Powering of the winery by purchased wind and solar power.
• Sourcing bottles and packaging from U.S. and California manufacturers, whenever possible.

Two Markham wines

As harvest approaches each year, winemaker Kimberlee Nicholls walks the vineyards looking for the best examples of varietal and vintage and hand-marking the parcels to be reserved for limited vineyard-designate bottlings.

In 2018, after walking the Yountville Ranch Vineyard, Nicolls selected a single Merlot clone (181) grown in gravelly loam soil on a north-facing block.

“Here the vines produced the smallest berries and most intense flavor, offering an exceptional expression of the vintage and terroir,” she states.

• 2018 Markham “Marked Parcel” Merlot, Yountville Ranch Vineyard, Yountville AVA, Napa Valley
  100% estate-grown Merlot, clone 181
  100% Napa Green Land and Green Winery Certified
  20 months in French oak (67% new); nine days of skin contact

My tasting notes: Deep, opaque ruby in color. Fresh-smelling nose, black cherry with a distinct fennel note. Blueberry and peppermint aromas, too, as the wine opens up. Tasting young right now – plum and oak dominate, medium+ acidity, integrated tannins, long and savory finish. Getting some lovely coffee and mocha notes as this Merlot opens up. Will show even more with some additional time in bottle. Alcohol: 14.5%. Price: $65.

• 2019 Markham Merlot, Napa Valley
  85% Merlot, 6% Petite Sirah, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Syrah, 2% Malbec
  64% estate grown
  Fermented in 96% stainless steel and 4% barrel; 15 days of skin contact; 24½ months in oak barrels (31% new)

My tasting notes: Deep ruby in color. Nose of cherry, black cherry and ripe green pepper. Medium+ acidity with a ripe green pepper, herbaceous note. I get chocolate as the wine opens up. Medium+ finish. Will benefit from some additional bottle aging. Alcohol: 14.6% Price: $29.

A riff on lasagna

Classic lasagna and Merlot are a winning combination. But lasagna is a time-consuming dish, and I don’t like to cook! Ever notice how my food pairings are really, really simple? Now you know why.

To my delight, The Seattle Times magazine recently published a story about the “I Don’t Want to Cook” book by Alyssa Brantley. At last, a cookbook for people like me! The article included two recipes that I chose for this #MerlotMe post: a whipped feta dip and lasagna soup.

Both were delicious and good (but not wow) with these two elegant wines. The soup tasted just like lasagna! I substituted a plant-based protein for the Italian sausage to lower the fat and cholesterol. With sausage, I’m sure this pairing would be wow. The next day, I added homemade English muffin pizzas featuring mozzarella cheese and leftover chicken sausage. These little pizzas were quite good with the wines!

Check out what all the bloggers are writing for this month’s topic:

• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “Merlot: Smooth, Savory and Sustainable”
• Cindy at Grape Experiences shares “Comfort Food and Wines for Fall: Savory Slow Cooker Chicken and Classic Merlot”
• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Celebrating #MerlotMe with Mushrooms, Truffles, and a Wine from a Cal Alumna”
• David at Cooking Chat shares “Everyday Pasta Sauce with Ground Beef and Chickpeas”
• Jane at Always Ravenous shares “Fall Food Pairings with Merlot”
• Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles shares “#MerlotMe with figs, cherries and a nice grilled steak”
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass shares “Kicking off #MerlotMe month with Napa Valley wine and lasagna soup”
• Jennifer at Vino Travels shares “Warm up with Merlot and Pappardelle Bolognese”
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator…Gwendolyn Alley shares “Smoked Lamb/Beef Meatloaf Says #MerlotMe with Sonoma’s Decoy and Washington’s Pedastal”
• Susannah at Avvinare shares “Forever A Devoted Merlot Fan”
• Liz at What’s in that Bottle shares “Three Family-Owned Merlots for Fall”
• Terri at Our Good Life shares “Provencal Eggplant Stew + Decoy Merlot for #MerlotMe”
• Jeff at Food Wine Click! shares “Merlot and 40 Cloves of Garlic”