Bert Merlott is a fictitious character with high snobbish mannerisms that plays in contrast to the “real” of Robert Mondavi Private Selection wines. Bert Merlott’s flamboyant character includes a fake French accent with a wine snob’s superiority complex. When I saw the short advertisement it had me smiling and I couldn’t wait to see the rest of the videos. I think I smiled and laughed through the entire short videos.

The Youtube videos are short, so I’ll just mention two humorous instances. In the Robert Mondavi Private Selection barrel room, Bert tries to tell Master of Wine Peter Marks that since each oak barrel is unique they should be treated as children and each should have a name and he begins suggesting names. On another video Bert explains how one can open a bottle of wine without a corkscrew, just insert four toothpicks between the cork and the edge of the bottle neck – the cork will come out in three or four days! After each segment, the viewer sees a sign, “Not Exactly Real.”

Aside from the Bert Merlott character who presents the “wine snob” mannerisms and presents some “Not Exactly Real” ideas, the videos do include some realism. For example, viewers will meet the winemaker, Rick Boyer. Beautiful views of the vineyards in Central Coast region are very enjoyable.

History

Robert Mondavi established this Central Coast winery in 1994. Today the winery is producing red and white wines. The red wines include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Meritage, Coastal Crush Red, Zinfandel and Malbec. White wine varieties include Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Riesling.

Robert Mondavi Private Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2013

Along with pdfs, we received a bottle of the Robert Mondavi Private Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2013. This bright straw color wine also had a tinge of green. The aroma was aromatic making it seem bright and cheerful reminding one of a spring or summer leisurely walk. With notes of lime and lemon, the wine would pair well with many foods including cheese and crackers. In addition to pairing with foods, Sauvignon Blanc is what we like to call a 3P wine, perfect as an aperitif for the patio, pool or picnic.

If enjoying one of the Robert Mondavi Private Selection wines, use Twitter to tweet and the hashtag #Forreal.

Cheers,
Kathy