FAT bastard Merlot – Full and Approachable

When I see a wine named “Fat Bastard” I don’t know what to expect.  My first impression is that wine is all about marketing shtick and has no real substance.  But then I think that perhaps the winemaker just has a good sense of humor.  There’s no real way to know without giving it an objective tasting.

Fat Bastard is even more odd for a name of a French wine, given how traditional and majestic the names and labels are on most French wines.  I mean, I could see this coming from Australia, but France???  There’s something I like about the elegance of the traditional marketing of French wines, but it can also be intimidating to those who are new to it.  I remember a time when I avoided the French aisle due to that.  So, I have to give the producers of Fat Bastard credit for making a French wine more approachable from a marketing perspective.

According to the story they tell, the name comes from a joke between winemaker Thierry Boudinaud and wine entrepreneur Guy Anderson.  One day when when they were tasting wine samples Thierry commented that a wine tasted like a fat bastard, and the name stuck.

As a brand, Fat Bastard offers seven different varieties of wine, all from the Languedoc region in Southern France.  And all of their wines are priced for budget-conscious consumers.

This is a nice Merlot, although it is fairly simple.  On the nose it’s mostly blackberry and plum with a very soft beet aroma.  Yes, beets as in the root vegetable.  And if you’ve never had roasted beets with a good, full-flavored red wine I suggest you give it a try, the pairing can be outstanding.

There isn’t much intensity on the nose, so it is a delicate bouquet.  Contrarily the palate has a good amount of concentration, with plenty of ripe blackberry and plum flavors.  It has a very well rounded and full mouth feel with rich silky tannins that linger into the finish.

It is a very approachable Merlot and a very good wine for the price.

Wine: Fat Bastard
Variety: Merlot
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 86
Price: $9.99

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