My wife left yesterday for a 10 day trip overseas.  In honor of her "world wide adventure" (or more likely, to have her avoid trying this wine with me), I opened a bottle of the 2009 Fat Bastard Merlot. 

Yep, you've seen the bottles on your grocery store shelf— the little Hippo on the top of the label, the cute name for the wine— unforgettable — they are everywhere!  They also have a great price point — usually around $10.00 per bottle —AND— Fat Bastard is a French wine!!  A "vin de pays" (French "country wine" for those who do not speak French— a step above a "table wine" in France, but below an AOC wine).  How bad can it be, I thought ?!?!?!? 

Well . . . . . . . 

The story behind "Fat Bastard". . .

From the back label — Fat Bastard was the result of the efforts of good friends Thierry Boudinaud (a renowned French winemaker) and Guy Anderson ( a British wine industry rebel) who created Fat Bastard by accident.

"It started out as an experiment Thierry had been doing in the back of his cellar, leaving a barrel 'on the lees' (yeast cells).  He didn't know what to expect, but when the friends tried the wine Thierry exclaimed [in a thick French accent] . . . 'Now zat is what you call eh Phet bast-ard!'  This very British expression perfectly describes the wine's wonderful color and round, rich palate, so that's what they called it."

Mmmm. . . not so much. . . 

2009 Fat Bastard Merlot



I opened and decanted the Hippo's Merlot for about 45 minutes.  Ruby red in color, this wine's nose was lacking, very lacking.  I got some blackberry and blueberry, but I had to search for it.  The wine on the palate was not much better.  Initially, this Merlot has tastes of plum and blackberry but by the midpalate it is gone and does not reappear at the back end of your palate.  This is a disjointed wine that has really no personality other than the catchy name and Hippo on the label. 

I tried to make this wine work— I really did!  I left it open for hours and kept going back to it.  I swirled and swirled hoping it would open up.  It never did.  I am glad that I only paid $9.00 for this bottle.  I am not even sure it is worth that much though, with other wine, for only a few bucks more, on the shelves that are much better. 

I hate to "bash" wines. But, this wine is available everywhere to everyone and I am sure that a lot of you have wondered what the "Hippo wine" with the funny name was all about.  Now you know.  Stay away (in my best thick French accent).