Merlot is summer's go-to, all-purpose red wine.
The choices run wide and deep, and yet remain consumer friendly. I like it that merlots don't come pre-packaged with an extra dollop of confusion — unlike syrah/shiraz, pinot noir/nero, petite sirah and so many other grapes. Merlot is very Zen. It is what it is, whether it hails from Australia, Chile, the Languedoc, Italy, Eastern Europe or the U.S. Even the word merlot slips easily off the tongue, just as the wine slips easily onto it. Its flavors are uncomplicated; this is one red wine that rarely requires any sort of extra effort to "appreciate" it, unlike pinot noir or cabernet.
In Washington, merlot is the most widely planted red wine grape, accounting for one-fifth (roughly 6,000 acres) of all vineyard acreage. I have written frequently about the exceptional quality of Washington merlots, which I believe to be among the world's best. Nonetheless, Washington remains a distant second in terms of overall production. Most domestic merlots carry a California label.
As of 2002, merlot was a solid third in total acreage in California (behind chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon), with 52,190 acres planted. This is a fivefold increase since 1992, one measure of the grape's astonishing popularity.
According to the September 2004 Wine Enthusiast magazine, merlot has become the top-selling red wine in America, led by California brands that dispensed nearly 21 million cases of merlot in 2003.
Many of the big wineries make several merlots, sold in a wide variety of price tiers. Some, like Duckhorn and Sterling, offer expensive single vineyard and reserve bottlings; others, such as Mondavi and Beringer, offer everything from line-priced budget bottles to pricey reserves.
One way to quickly get a sense of their overall quality is to survey both the low and high ends of the price spectrum. Who is doing the best job under $10? What flavors can be found in the best budget bottles? What should you avoid? If you are going to spring for a special-occasion bottle, which can easily cost $50 or more (and double that in a restaurant), what will you get for the money?
The good news, as far as the low-priced wines are concerned, is that California merlots may be innocuous, but they are rarely harsh or vegetal. Even the least exciting of the cheap merlots sport light red fruit flavors, hinting at cherry and berry. They are simple but sound and perfectly good for outdoor barbecues. But only the best of the bargains rise above the generic flavors found in cheap red wine from just about anywhere.
Many of these budget brands are big production, corporate enterprise wines, and they come with a full armada of marketing mavens and product researchers that have you and your palate squarely in their sights. To me, it seems as if they divide consumers into two basic camps.
In one camp are those who like sweeter wines with the taste of vanilla. When it is present, the sweetness in merlot is subtle but detectable. You may protest that you don't like sweet wines, but a lot of you do; you just don't realize it.
By leaving a small amount of residual (unfermented) sugar in the finished wine, the winemaker rounds off any rough edges, hides any green tannins and gives the fruit a more pronounced burst in the mid-palate. Oak chips (cheaper than barrels) or other shortcut methods introduce vanilla flavors into the wine, sometimes so much that it tastes like vanilla extract has been added (it hasn't).
The other mainstream style that holds great appeal offers pure, bright fruit flavors, particularly berries and red currants, unencumbered by sugar or vanilla. These wines usually have a tart, puckery quality, perhaps even a little lift of citrus, which can be quite bracing and very food friendly.
When you jump up to more expensive merlots, the flavors thicken and layers appear. If oak is used (as it generally is) then it is real barrels, not chips, and they are often new, giving the finished wines a more subtle range of vanilla bean, coconut, chocolate, espresso and toasted flavors.
The most expensive merlots use the best and costliest grapes, which are riper, more extracted, and may carry nuances of mushroom and forest floor. Even the most complex young merlots tend to be more open and accessible than comparable young cabernets; they have softer tannins and a more horizontal, rather than vertical, structure on the palate.
In any merlot, whether cheap or dear, look for clean berry, cherry and plum flavors that are nicely mixed. If oak flavors are present, they should be enhancements, used just as a professional chef uses spices.
Overall, well-made wines should be balanced, seamless, with clearly defined flavors, good weight and texture.
What should not be there are unripe, vegetal flavors; rough, green or stemmy tannins; and anything that smells musty, dirty, garlicky, rubbery or chemical.
Recommended value merlots:
Talus Collection 2002 Lodi; $9. I like the highlights — spice, leaf and vanilla — that support rather than disguise the tart, tasty fruit. Note: The 2001 is now being closed out for under $6!
Blackstone 2002 Merlot; $10. Blackstone's "California" bottling is the top-selling merlot in the country right now and offers black raspberry/black cherry flavors with a gentle touch of oak.
BV 2001 Coastal Estates Merlot; $10. Consistently flavorful, with fresh berry fruit and polished tannins.
Ravenswood 2002 Vintners Blend; $10. Good focus, clean berry flavors and a smooth, seamless mouthfeel.
Mirassou 2001; $11. Named best merlot at the L.A. County Fair, this has a light citrus scent, plenty of puckery acid and a tropical splash of fruit in the finish.
Belvedere 2001 "Healdsburg Ranches"; $15. Wonderful, ripe blackberry fruit, punched up with notes of leather and spice.
Kendall-Jackson 2001 Vintner's Reserve; $15. Exceptionally popular, perhaps due to its supple, sweet fruit and generous vanilla component.
Alexander Valley Vineyards 2001 "Wetzel Family Estate"; $16. Tangy, berry-driven Sonoma style; an interesting contrast to the Kendall-Jackson.
Recommended spendy merlots:
Duckhorn 2001 Three Palms Vineyard; $78. Duckhorn's fabled Three Palms simply sets the standard for single vineyard California merlot.
Clos Pegase 2000 Mitsuko's Vineyard; $26. Wonderful wine, appealing and complex, with sleek cherry fruit and tobacco/mushroom undertones.
Shafer 2001 Napa; $40. Classy, exceptional fruit sets up stylish, fruit-driven, lifted cherry/berry flavors, finished with lively cola and tobacco notes.
Grgich Hills 2001 Napa; $38. Grgich is making terrific wines again, and this is a beauty. Supple and rich, spiced up with peppery notes, plush with ripe fruit.
Twomey Cellars 2000 Napa; $60. For those who like 'em large, this is a bruiser! Dark, liquorous, extracted and immense, with a mocha/cherry liqueur core.
Ferrari-Carano 2001 Sonoma; $25. Tannic and bone dry, austere with citrus, berry and tea leaf. Lovely balance.
Whitehall Lane 2001; $28. Supple and smooth, the silky fruit is seamless and seductive, and the wine carries substantial weight through the finish.
Robert Sinskey 2000 "Los Carneros"; $29. Firm and refined, with a lovely structure; this is a mix of tart red fruits and fresh mushroom.
And also ...
Congratulations to Spokane's Barrister Winery, whose 2002 Cabernet Franc was named "Best Limited Production Wine" at the 2004 L.A. County Fair. And to Lopez Island Vineyards, whose 2003 Siegerrebe won "Best Organic Wine" accolades at the same prestigious judging. Both wines are superb and well worth seeking out.
Paul Gregutt is the author of "Northwest Wines." His column appears weekly in the Wine section. He can be reached by e-mail at wine@seattletimes.com.
