Swig Merlot, Sweet Harriet

Although I have no statistical or demographic evidence to support my view, it appears to me, based solely on personal observation, that women should be credited for Merlot’s spectacular rise to stardom in the 1990s. When the alleged health benefits derived from drinking red wine were touted in the press, Americans started to look for red alternatives to the ever-popular Chardonnay. But many women, and certainly a considerable number of men, found Cabernet, Zinfandel, and even Pinot Noir, a bit too strong or overly tannic. The solution was Merlot, and wine merchants along with marketers seemed to focus on the woman consumer.

Unfortunately, the chief asset of Merlot, its silky smoothness, could also be its major weakness—especially among lower priced offerings. Unless Merlot yields are carefully controlled in the vineyard, the result can be soft, flabby wines without any character and a horrendous vegetal nose. For years, I could never find an affordable Merlot that didn’t exude green bell pepper on the nose; or that didn’t seem to have a “hole” in its middle; or that, after the silky mouth feel and initial sweet-fruit flavors, didn’t leave you looking for more. Yet the wine remained, and still is today, extremely popular. Indeed, in almost any discussion of wine, when “Merlot” is heard can the word “fashionable” be far behind?

Luckily, and possibly owing to a more discriminating consumer base, Merlot producers seem, as of late, to have found a way to deliver well priced offerings with loads of character and, at times, even some complexity. In fact, just a few weeks back I was startled to find a Chilean Merlot from Concha y Toro, "Marques de Casa Concha" which was so elegant and beautifully structured and retailed at only $14 that I made it my “wine of the week” on Tablewine.com. After tasting that bottle, I was determined to locate others and, if I could round up enough, to devote a feature to this varietal. As may already be obvious, I found what I was looking for, and I can now easily recommend that any Tom, Dick, or Harriet, looking for a smooth wine, not swig but savor a Merlot.

Merlot is Bordeaux’s most widely planted grape, and, along with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, one of the major components of red Bordeaux. In the classified growths of the Medoc, it is used largely as a blending grape to soften the harsher characteristics of Cabernet Sauvignon. Indeed, the French refer to Merlot as la robe (“the gown”) but to Cabernet Sauvignon as le corps (“the body”). On the right bank, however, especially in Pomerol and Saint Emilion, Merlot plays more of a leading role, In fact, one of the world’s most prestigious and, needless to say, expensive wines, Chateau Petrus, is made almost exclusively from Merlot. Moreover, because this grape is so profusely planted, a lot of generic red Bordeaux is more than likely made primarily from Merlot rather than Cabernet Sauvignon.

Elsewhere in France, Merlot is enjoying considerable popularity in the southwest as well as in the Languedoc-Rousillon from where you can find some good affordable bottles being imported.

Merlot is also popular in northeastern Italy in Friuli, which, although known primarily for its white wines, produces some excellent, albeit expensive, examples of this varietal. This grape is also enjoying success in Umbria and Tuscany. In fact, Chianti producers have found Merlot to be a better, less overpowering, companion than Cabernet Sauvignon for blending with their native Sangiovese.

In the New World, Merlot can be found throughout California, in the Central Valley as well as in Napa and Sonoma. Although there were a few false starts with this varietal in the 60s and 70s, Merlot achieved a certain level of success in the 80s. Since the 90s, however, it has enjoyed spectacular success, although it may recently have reached a plateau. Elsewhere in the U.S., Merlot has done very well in Washington state’s Columbia Basin.

You can also find a number of notable bottles being imported from South America, especially from Argentina and Chile, whose soils and climates have proved ideal for producing excellent examples of this varietal.

Finally, the Australians have jumped on the Merlot bandwagon and are producing a considerable and increasing amount every year. For this tasting, we tried to collect a representative sampling from most of these districts. Almost all of the wines we tasted were very good to outstanding and amazed us with their quality to price ratio.

Merlot lends itself to being paired with a wide variety of foods, ranging from grilled meats to grilled mushrooms to seared tuna. You might also enjoy it with pasta and a Bolognese sauce. For this tasting, we kept it simple and chose grilled steaks.

As is our custom, we tasted the wines first on their own and then sampled them again with our meal. The wines are listed in the order in which they were tasted, which was determined solely by price.

	2000 Cartlidge & Browne, Merlot, California ($9.99) Clear ruby in color, with good legs, this California Merlot has a forward, sweet rock-candy nose, with aromas of plums and underpinnings of spice and white pepper. Light to medium bodied, it delivers sweet raspberry flavors with a bit of a tart edge. Well structured, with very soft tannins and good acidity, this wine has a good finish consistent with its initial flavors. Not complex; just pleasant. A bit too fruit forward with the steak; perhaps better with lamb. A best value.

	2000 Marina Danieli, Merlot, Colli Orientali del Friuli, DOC ($9.99) Ruby in color, with plenty of legs, this Friulian Merlot has a big nose, with earth, game, and herbaceous aromas. On the palate, it's medium bodied and dry and offers plum and violet flavors. There are some herbaceous notes as well. It's nicely structured, with good acidity for food. The finish is quite dry but a tad short. It was good with the food, preferring to stay in the background. Imported by Giorgio Grai Signature Selections, South Kearny, NJ.

	2000 Blackstone Winery, Merlot, California ($11.99) Garnet in color, with long, runny legs, this wine has a sweet nose, with jammy-raspberry fruit. Light to medium bodied, it has plum flavors that seem to alternate between tart and sweet. The sweetness is tempered by earthy, mushroom flavors. It has good length and finishes with earth and spice notes. A nice wine with a bit of character. It was like a steak sauce with the food.

	2000 Rock River, Merlot, California ($11.99) Garnet, with some burnt orange on the edges, this wine has great legs. The nose is difficult to describe, with aromas of cinnamon and burnt sugar. One taster called it a "lipstick nose." Light to medium bodied, with soft, supple tannins, it offers dry and spicy flavors, with hints of sauteed liver. There's good acidity for food. The flavors linger, and the finish is consistent with the beginning. It worked well with the beef.

	1999 Columbia Crest, Grand Estates Merlot, Columbia Valley ($12.99) Deep ruby in color, with burnt-orange edges, this wine has loads of legs and a big nose of mushrooms and earth, accompanied by underpinnings of burnt sugar. Light to medium bodied, the wine is nicely structured, with good acidity and supple tannins. It's full of tart-cherry and grassy flavors that linger. It has good length and finishes with herbaceous notes. It was very good with the food.

	2001 Kirralaa, Merlot, South Eastern Australia ($13.99) This wine, a product of a joint venture between Australia's Rosemount Estates and Napa's Robert Mondavi, is deep ruby in color and has long, lush legs. It has a restrained, though clearly defined, burnt-sugar nose, along with some "fresh-baked-cake" notes. On the palate, it's medium bodied and dry, offering candied-cherry flavors that evolve into tart-plum. It's well structured, with good acidity and concentration. It finishes nicely with tart-plum flavors. This wine was elegant with the food. The first star of this tasting. Imported by RM Imports, Napa, CA.

	2000 J. Lohr, Los Osos Merlot, Paso Robles ($13.99) Deep ruby in color, with good legs, this wine has a forward nose of green bell pepper and cherry. Light to medium bodied and distinctively dry, it offers dense cassis flavors. It's well structured, with adequate acidity and concentration. It has good length and finishes with dry, herbaceous notes. It was great with the steaks, cutting through the fat.

	2000 Caliterra, Arboleda Merlot, Colchagua Valley ($14.99) This wine has a pretty, deep-purple color and long, thick legs. The nose is intriguing, with earth and mushroom aromas complemented by subtle fruit notes. Medium to full bodied, with great structure--supple tannins, good concentration, good acidity, it's dry and offers sweet red-berry and ripe- plum flavors. "Very beautiful," exclaimed one taster. It has plenty of length and finishes with tartness and spice notes. Imported by RM Imports, Napa, CA. It was outstanding with the food. Definitely a star of this tasting.

	2001 Falesco, Merlot, Umbria IGT ($16.99) This wine has a beautiful, opaque deep-purple color and lush legs. The nose is subtle, with floral aromas and hints of earth. Light to medium bodied, it has the classic velvety mouthfeel of a Merlot. There's good concentration and plenty of black-cherry flavors accompanied by underpinnings of black licorice. It has good length and finishes with tart, dry notes. This wine was extraordinary with the steak. Imported by Winebow Inc., New York, NY. Yet another star of this tasting.

	2000 Franciscan, Oakville Estate Merlot, Napa Valley ($16.99) Deep ruby in color, with long legs, this wine has a sweet nose, with plum and cherry aromas. Light to medium bodied and noticeably smooth, it delivers dense red-cherry flavors complemented by some spice notes. The flavors linger. There's also good concentration and acidity. It has nice length and a tart-fruit finish. It was good with food, taking a supporting role.

	2001 Francis Coppola, Diamond Series Blue Label Merlot, California ($17.99) Bright ruby in color, with nice legs, this wine has a rather forward nose of burnt sugar and wild mushrooms. It's medium bodied and offers big, big fruit flavors that seem to come in layers of tartness and sweetness, of plum and cherry. The flavors linger on the palate. It's beautifully structured and has a long tart-plum finish. It was good with the food and even better than when we tasted it at first.

	2001 Jean Claude Mas, III B Merlot, Vin de Pays D'oc ($19.99) Deep ruby in color, with long legs, this wine has an understated, gamy and herbaceous nose, with some burnt-sugar notes. Medium bodied and remarkably dry, it's soft and silky on the palate. It oozes elegance, with good concentration and acidity. It delivers dry flavors of plum and black cherry along with some beef notes. It has plenty of length, finishing with tart-plum notes. It was very good with the food. Imported by Wine Source Selection, South Kearny, NJ. Yet another star of this tasting.

Here's the wine that caused me to reconsider Merlots and to write this feature:

2001 Concha y Toro, "Marques de Casa Concha" Merlot, Peumo ($14.00)

This superbly elegant Chilean Merlot has a deep, opaque-ruby color and long, slow legs. The luscious nose is big and deep with aromas of black cherry and violet, complemented by underpinnings of tar and smoke. On the palate, it's medium to full bodied and beautifully structured, with still firm, yet supple, tannins and good acidity for dining. It has a warm mouthfeel and delivers concentrated black-cherry flavors, which are followed initially by bittersweet chocolate, and then by spice. There's also a subtle hint of oak throughout. It has good length and finishes with spice and oak. Be sure to give this wine plenty of breathing time to enjoy it at its fullest. Excellent with grilled meats or, for the vegetarian, grilled Portobello mushrooms. An outstanding value

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