Merlot
With Cabernet Franc, famous as a blending partner for Cabernet Sauvignon, but much more widely planted in Bordeaux than either. Merlot conventionally makes lush, plummy, velvety wine that can soften Cabernet's more austere frame and, usefully, matures much faster. Very much a wine of the times, it enjoyed enormous popularity in the United States in the 1990s and early 2000s - until usurped by Pinot Noir thanks to the so-called "Sideways" effect.
Merlot's homeland is Bordeaux where it is the most important ingredient in most wines qualifying for the basic Bordeaux appellation. But you have to go right up the quality scale here to see Merlot in all its French glory. It may be a luscious, mouth-filling, velvety, plummy, intense Pomerol that can often be positively meaty, almost bloody. Or, typically blended with a bit of Cabernet Franc, it may make up the lion's share of a Saint-Émilion which is similar but is a little leaner and has more of the rich fruit cake, mineral and torrefaction about it. Merlot tends to be noticeably lower in tannins and acidity than Cabernet, which makes it much more voluptuous to taste and, on the palate, provides lots of fruity impact in the middle to fill in the hole left by the tough, tannic framework of young Cabernet Sauvignon. Despite Merlot's reputation as the user-friendly, early maturing wine, the best of these wines can continue to develop in bottle for decades, and I have been lucky enough to taste a mid 19th century Château Ausone at the château that was as lively as the then chatelaine herself.
Merlot, like the Cabernets, is widely grown throughout south west France, notably in Bergerac and in Cahors where it is the common blending partner of Malbec. It is also very widely planted in the Languedoc where it can make juicy, plump IGP wines (generally more successful than Cabernet Sauvignon). Just like Merlot the wine, Merlot the vine ripens earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon, but it is less resistant to rot and, if the weather is poor during flowering, can easily suffer from uneven fruit set. It is conventionally but by no means exclusively associated with damp, clay soils.
Much of the world's Merlot is grown in France, but it is also widely grown in north-east Italy, particularly in Friuli where it can make plumper wines than the prevailing Cabernet. Quality varies from basic light red varietals to rich, dense barrique-aged wines, often blended with Cabernet and/or Sangiovese. (This observation is also true of the Merlots produced in Switzerland's Italian Ticino.) Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova also grown significant quantities of Merlot, which can be difficult to distinguish in terms of wine quality, from their Cabernet.
Merlot has been planted at a lick in both North and South America. It has a proven track record in Washington state where its charms are attractively balanced by crisp acidity and good colour.
In California, its fruity charms have been extremely popular when served up as a varietal wine and it is also a popular ingredient in Meritage blends. Its reputation suffered, however, from the very ordinary quality and excessive sweetness of California Merlot at its most basic, as a sort of red Chardonnay. The proposition when California Merlot hit the American market in the early 1990s was basically that this was Cabernet without the pain, a red wine offering the classic nobility of a Bordeaux grape but without the austere tannins. American Merlot's crucial characteristic is not its flavour but its texture which can be, and frequently is, described in one word - smooth. This is a wine to caress the palate, a wine that inspired that great new word in American wine jargon, "mouthfeel".
What enabled this of course was the Californian climate. There was no argument, as in Bordeaux, about whether Merlot grapes would ripen fully. The grapes would, in the best examples, be picked as late as possible to achieve full, "physiological" ripeness, picked not according analyses of their sugar and acid content but by whether the grapes had started to shrivel and their stalks to turn brown and woody. Some of California's finest Merlot producers are Duckhorn, Harrison, Havens, Matanzas Creek, St Francis and Silverado Vineyard, but their wines are in a different stratosphere from the average example which is simply red and sweetish. Merlot has been an undoubted hit with the American public (as witness its phenomenal recent expansion in California's vineyards), even if Californian producers find it so much harder to understand than their beloved Cabernet Sauvignon.
Chile has already found its own perfect spot for Merlot, Apalta in Colchagua, and the best-made examples combine California gloss with even more obvious fruit. Chilean Merlot is rarely as alcoholic and "thick" as the California prototype, but it often has the appetising aroma of a red Bordeaux without being quite as weedy/slight/puny.
Argentina's Merlot has a less distinct identity - indeed almost all Argentine red already has inbuilt ripeness thanks to the climate, and so there is little need to augment this with a particularly ripe tasting variety.
Although Merlot is grown as a blending partner for Cabernet in Australia and New Zealand, few varietal wines of real distinction have emerged, although surely they will. South Africa has already shown just how gorgeous an oak-aged Merlot ripened in a relatively warm climate can be. Merlot is now widely planted in China too.
By Jancis Robinson
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£12.04
Astoria Il Puro Merlot
Astoria ViniAstoria Il Puro Merlot has intense aromas of red berries and spice that give into a full and generous palate with supple structure. The finish is l...
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£15.17
Astoria 'el Ruden' Veneto Rosso I.G.T.
Astoria ViniHigh quality and slightly unusual! Ruden in Venetian dialect means rust, hence the colour of the label. It is a blend of equal quantities of Merlot...
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£10.94
Domaine Horgelus Cotes de Gascogne Rosé
Domaine HorgelusAn intense and complex bouquet of sweet wild strawberries, citrus fruits and fresh, juicy blackcurrants lead into a smooth and thirst-quenching pal...
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£12.62
Château Du Barry Bordeaux Rouge
Château Du BarryChateau Du Barry has a saturated garnet colour that borders on purple-blue. The nose is elegant and powerful, delivering gingerbread, vanilla, and ...
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£11.36
Domaine Horgelus , Rouge de Gala Cotes de Gascogne
Domaine HorgelusThis Domaine Horgelus red wine is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat, the latter being a local grape variety making r...
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£15.88
Ronan by Clinet - Bordeaux Rouge 2018
petits chateaux bordeauxWhat a superb little wine! This is 100% Merlot from a variety of appellations on the north bank of the estuary are handled with extreme care and at...
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£10.54
Sol De Andes Merlot
Sol De AndesSol De Andes Merlot is bursting with fresh red fruit aromas, especially raspberry and plum, and a waft of Virginia tobacco spice. A touch of smoke ...
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£11.74
Indaba Mosaic
IndabaIndaba Mosaic is a Cabernet Sauvignon dominated Bordeaux blend, displaying alluring aromas and juicy flavours of blackcurrant, ripe, earthy berry f...
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£12.47
Indaba Merlot
IndabaIndaba Merlot is crafted in a fresh, clean style, this velvety wine offers enticing aromas and bright, juicy flavours of cherry, dark berry and plu...
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£10.84
Vignobles Canet Beaux Lieux Réserve Rouge
Château CanetVignobles Canet Beaux Lieux Réserve Rouge is bright ruby red in colour, with ripe strawberry aromas on the nose. In the mouth the Beaux Lieux Réser...
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£10.44
Merlot - La Vigne de France
Château CanetCarcassonne, the South of France's magical medieval city, is surrounded with by vineyards where this delicious wine was made. Sun drenched slopes g...
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£14.90
Domaine Wardy Les Terroirs Rouge 2017
Domaine WardyThis is an excellent, inexpensive expression of Beqaa Valley wine which is truly classic. A blend of Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot...
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£14.44
Rustenberg RM Nicholson
RustenbergRustenberg RM Nicholson has blackcurrant aromas complemented by scents of dried herbs and notes of black pepper and spice, followed by a palate wit...
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£17.19
Château Haut-Colombier 2015, Premières Côtes De Blaye
Château Haut-ColombierChateau Haut-Colombier is a blend of 85% Merlot, 10% Malbec and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Ripe and juicy, this is a ready-to-drink wine. It has berry ...
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£14.04
Guardian Peak Merlot
Guardian PeakGuardian Peak Merlot is intensely red purple in the glass, on the nose fresh dark fruit and black cherry aromas are well integrated with smooth moc...
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£16.72
Glenelly Glass Collection Merlot
Glenelly EstateGlenelly Glass Collection Merlot is a deep, richly coloured wine. It displays intense, dark fruit and spicy plum aromas, reminiscent of a Black For...
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