2015 Château Bardoulet Saint-Émilion Grand Cru is 85% merlot

In Rex Pickett’s book Sideways, the wine that Miles is saving for a special occasion is Château Petrus Pomerol, a rare and expensive Bordeaux made with Merlot– a grape that he dismisses and downplays in both the movie and the book while elevating thin skinned Pinot Noir, a grape which metaphorically represents him. The book explains his disdain more clearly than in the movie: Merlot is the favorite wine of his ex, and the Petrus was a bottle they were saving together for an occasion that never occurred. Feeling rejected himself, he rejects her via her favored wine, and when he finds out she’s not only happily married but pregnant, he finally opens the bottle at a fast food restaurant and drinks it out of a paper cup. When Sideways producers weren’t allowed to use Petrus, they went with Château Cheval Blanc, also a Merlot and Cabernet Franc blend.

Most people miss these points, just as many people miss that a lot of Bordeaux wine is made from Merlot–and can be had for $20 or less! Continue reading →