I AM drinking the f*&^@#$ Merlot! Right Bank Bordeaux at Boulder Wine Merchant.

You’d have to have been born under a log not to remember the scene from the 2004 film Sideways when Miles famously tells Jack that he’s “not drinking the f*&^@#$ Merlot!”

But the irony is that later on in the movie, the wine that Miles is thrilled to drink from a styrofoam cup is Château Cheval Blanc from Saint-Émilion — one of the most famous Merlot vineyards in the world!

You may be surprised to learn that Merlot, not Cabernet Sauvignon, is the most widely planted grape in Bordeaux. The Dordogne River bisects this region, and Bordeaux can be divided into the “left” (western) and “right” (eastern) sides of the river. Saint-Émilion and Pomerol are the most prestigious appellations on the right bank, where Merlot thrives in clay and limestone-based soils.

Château Cheval Blanc is one of those wines that remains out of reach for many wine lovers because of its prohibitive price (that’s why it’s a unicorn wine for Miles). But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of great producers and wines from the right bank. As a matter of fact, there are so many growers there that it can be challenging to source the best values and the best wines.

And that’s exactly what Brett has done for our new “Right Bank Bordeaux” offering. You can see all of the wines currently in stock here.

And next week, at our Wednesday complimentary tasting (February 8, from 5-7 p.m.), you can taste four of those wines:

Bordeaux Rouge, Chateau Auguste 2017 ($17.99)
Fronsac, Chateau Fontenil $2019 ($43.99)
Saint-Emilion, Poesia 2019 ($66.98)
Pomerol, Les Saisons de Bourgeneuf 2020 ($69.98)

We hope you can join us as we “drink the f*&^@#$ Merlot!” Thank you for your support. We wouldn’t be here without you.