Gil Kulers’ wine pick

2006 Bonterra Merlot, Mendocino, Calif., $15. Two thumbs way up

Serious, smoky aromas of dark cherry and blueberries. Tart red berry fruit flavors with a lot of cinnamon, clove and nutmeg spices and notes of caramel, tobacco and earth. Complex but enjoyable.

“I’m sorry. This might not be what you expect,” said the nice lady as she poured me a sample of her merlot at a recent tasting in Atlanta.

Folks, has it come this? People who make fine, upstanding merlots have to apologize that it’s not the generic, jam-laden, boring American merlots that have dominated the wine scene for the past 15 years?

Merlot’s rampant popularity spurred winemakers to plant, harvest, ferment and bottle merlot just about anywhere. In 2008, merlot eclipsed white zinfandel in number of cases sold in the United States, according to A.C. Nielsen.

We may be reaching a saturation point. Merlot plantings have slowed in recent years as wine drinkers discover malbecs, sangioveses and tempranillos for the same price.

The wine lady was apologizing because the Bonterra Merlot from Mendocino, Calif., doesn’t taste like a strawberry lollipop. Besides having smoky, dark cherry aromas and a steely, tart fruit character, the wine’s made from organic grapes. What’s to apologize for?

Gil Kulers is a certified wine educator with the Society of Wine Educators and teaches in-home wine classes. You can reach him at gil.kulers@winekulers.com.