The Merlot Grape

(Synonyms: Bigney, Crabutet, Langon, Médoc Noir, Merlau, Merlot Noir, Picard, Sémillon Rouge, Vitraille)

Background

Merlot is a red-wine grape originating in Bordeaux, but now very widely grown (worldwide, it is the third-most-planted wine grape). It is widely considered one of the dozen and a half or so “Noble wine grapes” of the world, and indeed was one of the original three red-wine grapes so designated.

Merlot is one of the traditional grapes used in the red-wine blends that characterize Bordeaux (blends known to the British as “claret”). Americans are used to wines that are bottled and marketed by varietal name (which now requires that the wine must be at least 75% of the named type); but in most of Europe, the tradition has been to produce named blends, with laws specifying—usually quite tightly—what percentages of what grapes may be used. The principal Bordeaux grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, though there are others. Merlot wines are considered to be softer and “fleshier” than the “sterner” Cabernet Sauvignon, and thus act to moderate Bordeaux blends with body and softness. Merlot tends to be very much the dominant grape in so-called “Right Bank” Bordeaux reds (whereas “Left Bank” reds tend to be dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon).

Merlot is now immensely popular worldwide, and scarcely any winemaking country does not have extensive Merlot plantings. That has inevitably resulted in large amounts of harmless but bland and undistinguished Merlots, which have in recent times given the type a somewhat diminished level of respect, even though some of the world’s greatest wines (such as Château Pétrus) are almost wholly Merlot.

Merlot is (like any grape, really, but especially like Zinfandel) capable of yielding hugely various wines, depending on the vintner’s concept of what the type should be. But, broadly speaking, Merlots are relatively unaggresive, “rounded” (or even “fleshy”) wines dominated by red-fruit aromas and tastes. Some winemakers, however, opt to make their Merlots emulate Cabernet Sauvignons, and those are rather higher in alcohol and tannin, with more intense flavors. Others feel that that is not true to the basic nature of the grape, and make more restrained wines from Merlot.

The general sense in the business seems to be that in the New World, Washington State is the clear winner on Merlot, with California still struggling to emerge from the bad old days, but with Chile (and sometimes Argentina) producing some pretty good value wines. In the Old World, quality is there, but pricing on what is available in America is high, saving the Cru Bourgeois wines of the Right Bank.

Factoid: It is now thought that Merlot is a cross between Cabernet Franc and the obscure grape Magdeleine Noire des Charentes. It is related to Cabernet Franc and Carmenere.

Some Descriptions of Merlot Wines

Wikipedia
“Merlot can make soft, velvety wines with plum flavors. While Merlot wines tend to mature faster than Cabernet Sauvignon, some examples can continue to develop in the bottle for decades. There are three main styles of Merlot — a soft, fruity, smooth wine with very little tannins, a fruity wine with more tannic structure and, finally, a brawny, highly tannic style made in the profile of Cabernet Sauvignon. Some of the fruit notes commonly associated with Merlot include cassis, black and red cherries, blackberry, blueberry, boysenberry, mulberry, ollalieberry and plum. Vegetable and earthy notes include black and green olives, cola nut, bell pepper, fennel, humus, leather, mushrooms, rhubarb and tobacco. Floral and herbal notes commonly associated with Merlot include green and black tea, eucalyptus, laurel, mint, oregano, pine, rosemary, sage, sarsaparilla and thyme. When Merlot has spent significant time in oak, the wine may show notes of caramel, chocolate, coconut, coffee bean, dill weed, mocha, molasses, smoke, vanilla and walnut.”
Wine Searcher
“The precise flavors that Merlot imparts to a wine are not easily grouped. It is a grape used for producing wines of a particular texture, rather than a particular taste, relying on organoleptic properties other than just flavor and aroma. Smooth, rounded and ‘easy-drinking’ are common descriptions of Merlot wines. The main reason for this is that Merlot grapes are relatively large in relation to their pips and the thickness of the skins, in which tannins are found. For this reason, the variety is used to soften wines made from more tannic varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon (in the Medoc) or Malbec (in Cahors). It is also used in cooler vintages to balance the austerity of under-ripe grapes and to make the wines more approachable at an earlier age.”
Wine Access
“Flavor Profile: Medium to full-bodied wines with flavors of black cherry, plum, and tobacco.…Merlot enjoyed a surge in popularity in the 1990s as consumers suddenly discovered that they could enjoy aromas and flavors similar to those of Cabernet in a fleshier, softer wine with smoother tannins. A wave of Merlot plantings followed, frequently in soils and microclimates completely inappropriate for this variety, and the market was soon flooded with dilute bottles from young vines and high crop levels, and weedy, herbaceous examples from underripe fruit. Many of these undernourished wines were overoaked in attempts to mask their deficiencies.…Expect [nowadays] to find broad, supple wines with medium to full body, typically with aromas and flavors of black cherry, plum, dark berries, dark chocolate, tobacco, and earth, and suave, fine-grained tannins.”
Wine Folly
“Merlot wine is regarded as the underdog to Cabernet Sauvignon. How come? Because cheap commercial Merlot has given the varietal a bad reputation.…Fruit: Black Cherry, Raspberry, Plum; Other: Graphite, Cedar, Tobacco, Vanilla, Clove, Mocha; Oak? Yes. Usually medium oak aging (8-12 months); Tannin: Medium; Acidity: Medium; ABV: 12-15%”
DrinkWine.com
“Merlot’s popularity is due to the fact that it is softer, fruitier, and earlier-maturing than cabernet sauvignon, yet displays many of the same aromas and flavors – black cherry, currant, cedar, and green olive – along with mint, tobacco and tea-leaf tones. Although enjoyable as a varietal wine, it is probably most successful when blended with cabernet sauvignon, which contributes the structure, depth of flavor, and ageability merlot lacks.”
The Wine Cellar Insider
“In character, Merlot offers flavors of chocolate, plums, licorice, black cherries, blueberries, black raspberries and blackberries as well as jam, which depends on the levels of ripeness the fruit was allowed to achieve. It is round, fleshy and can be opulent in texture. Florence Decoster of Fleur Cardinale in St. Emilion adds to our description of Merlot: ‘Merlot is a grape variety that gives round and delicious wines, with aromas of black fruits such as black cherry, blackberry and cassis. You also get aromas of truffle, violet, plum, chocolate. For Merlot, our aim is to maintain the freshness of the fruit, before it becomes too soft and loses its freshness.’”
Appellation America
“Merlot plays the luscious role in the blended wines of Bordeaux, adding forward plummy, fruity richness to more austere qualities of Cabernet Sauvignon. More supple, with higher alcohol and softer tannin, Merlot is often more approachable in youth than Cabernet Sauvignon. It adds richness to the hard edges – putting meat on the bony structure of Cabernet. Petrus’s reputation on the auction block, notwithstanding, it is Cabernet Sauvignon that gets more attention from the rest of the world. Even though Merlot has a voluptuous character, because of its willingness to yield generously, it is vulnerable to being turned into rather dilute and characterless wines.”

Some Merlots to Try

Merlot has exploded—or at least its prices have. Nowadays, Merlot wines of even just reasonably decent quality have prices normally reserved for splurge “weekend wines”. Conversely, those with reasonable prices tend very much to quite low critical ratings.

We have excavated what seem the best options for those looking for Merlots that will offend neither the palate nor the purse. We hope you will agree.

For a Splurge

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This page was last modified on Monday, 25 October 2021, at 4:14 am Pacific Time.

That Useful Wine Site

The Merlot Grape

About Merlot

Background

Some Descriptions of Merlot Wines

Some Merlots to Try

For a Splurge

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