Merlot based wines originally hail from the Bordeaux region in France, specifically the right bank, located in Southwestern France. The Garonne River runs right through Bordeaux, and this is how we differentiate right bank wines from left bank wines. Wines grown on the right bank (to the right, or east, of the Garonne River) are predominantly Merlot-based, and wines produced on the left bank (to the left, or west, of the Garonne River) are predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon-based. There is little disagreement that Bordeaux is home to the finest, most traditional wines in the world, and we will discover the unique differences between these old-world style Merlots and their new world counterparts from the United States, Chile, and Argentina.
In Bordeaux there are two schools of winemaking: old school and new school. But within each school you will find poor quality wines that are fairly fruity and meaningless as well as high quality wines. The quality old school wines have significant tannins, high alcohol, and are immense examples that age extremely well. Quality new school wines will be big and robust, with softer tannins and a creamy palate, and they often age for years to come.
Merlot-based wines will give us aromas and flavors of ripe plum fruit, and jammy berry fruit like blueberries, blackberries, and currants. We will often pick up hints of herbs, olives, flowers and mint, as well as creamy vanilla, butter and spice. Well-made examples will have complex layering of flavors and aromas, will be very friendly, and satisfying to drink on their own or to match with food.
I think you will find Merlot-based wines to be quite flexible with many different types of food, and can handle dishes with bold flavors. Merlot can be matched with seafood dishes with richer sauces. Try them with shellfish recipes made with bacon and herbs, or oilier fish such as tuna, salmon and swordfish. Of course Merlot can be enjoyed with a myriad of meat dishes. Try it with poultry, such as chicken, pheasant or turkey, as well as heartier meat dishes like veal, beef or duck. Merlot can be a great complement to dishes made with mushrooms and herbs. When matching with cheese, I would suggest bolder-flavored, hard-pressed cheeses like Reggiano Parmigiana, Cheddar, or Smoked Gouda.
Where the Grape is Harvested
Bordeaux: Along the right bank of the Garonne River in Southwest France, you will find fantastic bottlings from the appellations of Pomerol and St-Emilion. You can find Merlot-based wines that are better values in Premieres Cotes de Blaye, Bourg, Fronsac, Canon Fronsac and Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux. Vintages to look for: 2000, 2001, and some in 2003. Not all 2003 vintage Bordeaux’s are good, but the good ones are superior.
Italy: The best Merlot-based wines are being produced in Tuscany, Umbria, and to a lesser extent Friuli. These wines are typically old world in style, offering wines that are not as fat as new world-style wines, but with juicy, ripe fruit that is perfumed with the terroir. You will find herbs, spice and leather on many of these examples.
United States: Merlots are produced in abundance in California, although many winemakers keep their yields too high, and therefore produce more pedestrian examples. Of course, that’s not to say there aren’t fantastic bottlings coming out of California, but we have to be careful to find the superior bottlings and to avoid the ordinary. Washington State also produces some fine bottlings of Merlot. Washington State Merlots tend to be more similar to Bordeaux in style than are California Merlots. They will have softer texture, redder fruit, and crisper acidity.
Chile: Great Chilean examples come from the Rapel Valley. These Merlots tend to be soft and dark, and have distinct aromatics such as herbs, vegetables, tomato, and sometimes even soy sauce.
Argentina: These Merlots tend to have less herbaceousness, less acidity and can be more alcoholic with higher tannins. But you can find fairly sweet, jammy, ripe Merlots here.
Other Regions: Australia, Switzerland, South Africa, New Zealand, Spain, Hungary and Bulgaria are making Merlot in limited quantities and with lesser success.
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