Merlot

I can't think of Merlot without thinking of the line from the movie, Sideways, in which Paul Giamatti proclaims, "I'm not drinking any f#*^ing Merlot." So why does this wine with such high held popularity hold such disregard amongst wine snobs?  Merlots by nature are genarally light, easy drinking, fruit-driven wines.  However, given the right growing conditions it can be a big, brawny, cellar worthy wine.

How and why does this wine have such a split personality?  Let's first define what a Merlot characteristically is.  Merlot is known for its softness and fleshiness and a certain sensuality that it brings to a wine.  In a wine it typically has aromas of:
                        Blueberry                    Plum
                        Cedar Box                  Cocoa
                        Blackberry                  Prune
                        Mint                            Coffee
                        Cherry                         Grapey
                        Toffee                          Spice
                        Black Cherry               Black Pepper
                        Vanilla                         Chocolate

It characteristically has moderate tannins, high alcohol and very little acidity.  In Old World regions, Merlot is often grown in less than ideal sites with cold conditions or clay soils.  This is because the better sites with optimal growing conditions are given to Cabernet Sauvignon, its blending partner.  Grown in these sites, Merlot hardly ever expresses its true potential.  In New World regions, grown on good soils, in good sites and warmer conditions, Merlot is capable of producing some big powerful wines.

In the United States, Merlot was used almost entirely as a 100% varietal until Warren Winiarski, encouraged bringing it back to its blending roots making Bordeaux style blends.  In France, Merlot is rarely used as a stand alone varietal except in the south of France where it is bottled as a Vin de Pays.  Merlot is the most widely planted grape variety in France, accounting for nearly 2/3 of the total world plantings.  In Bordeaux, Merlot accounts for 50-60% of the overall plantings, yet tends to average only 25% in most wine blends.   Left Bank regions are mainly Cabernet Sauvignon and Right Bank regions are predominately Merlot.

In the 1980's Merlot helped put Washington State on the world wine radar. Merlot production helped dispel the myth that Washington's climate was too cold for red wine production.  Now Merlot is the most widely planted grape in the state and accounts for nearly 1/5 of their wine production.  During the 1990's Merlot gained in popularity due in large to 60 Minutes "French Paradox" episode.  This suggested that drinking red wine could help promote heart health and spurred a worldwide jump in red wine consumption.  Merlot's easy to pronounce name and easy drinking style seemed to cause an overnight explosion in sales.  Winemakers attempt to keep up with growing demands created many sub-standard bottlings though.  As a result, consumers came to accept lightweight wines being produced from young vines.  Today, mature vines are creating rich, well crafted wines like those that originally started the Merlot craze back in the late 80's and early 90's.  Check out our ratings on the Merlots we sampled