Merlot is grown all over the world, but it is first associated with the great wines of Bordeaux’s Right Bank, in Saint-Émilion and Pomerol.
A round, fleshy red
Merlot ripens early and gives large, thin-skinned berries. It is vulnerable to frost, rot and mildew, as well as coulure, which stops some flowers from setting into grapes. Its wines are supple and fleshy, with aromas of plum, blackberry and blackcurrant, and coffee, cocoa or truffle notes as they age.
It was born from a cross between Cabernet Franc and Magdeleine Noire des Charentes. Since Cabernet Franc is also a parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, that family tie partly explains why Merlot-based and Cabernet-based Bordeaux often taste alike.
In the United States, its reputation suffered from the film Sideways (2004), whose hero praises Pinot Noir and runs down Merlot. Merlot sales fell for a few years, especially in California, in favour of Pinot Noir. The effect has since faded, and Merlot has won back its fans.
Did you know? With about 266,000 hectares, Merlot is the second most planted red grape in the world, just behind Cabernet Sauvignon.
Bordeaux
Merlot is Bordeaux’s most planted grape. It is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and, to a lesser extent, Cabernet Franc. On the Right Bank, in the Libournais, it leads the blends of Saint-Émilion, Pomerol, Fronsac, Lalande-de-Pomerol, the Côtes de Bourg and Blaye, and Saint-Émilion’s satellites such as Montagne and Puisseguin. Petrus, Le Pin and Lafleur in Pomerol, and Ausone, Pavie or Angélus in Saint-Émilion, are its most prestigious expressions.
Elsewhere in the world
Outside Bordeaux it is widespread in the South-West and Languedoc, notably in IGP Pays d’Oc, and it goes into the Cabardès and Malepère appellations. In Italy it grows in Friuli, Trentino-Alto Adige and the Veneto, and it is planted across much of Europe, from Switzerland to Romania. In the New World, Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa, Uruguay and the United States also produce it.
The glass
Like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot loves large Bordeaux-style glasses: the Riedel Veloce Cabernet/Merlot glass.
