10 years ago Merlot got a bad rap in the film Sideways, where Miles said this to his friends: ‘If anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving, I am NOT drinking any (expletive) Merlot!’ The movie made a strong case for avoiding Merlot even if all the dirt and derision that was heaped on the poor variety was never justified.
Merlot was marketed as the soft option in the USA, the smooth red that anyone could enjoy, ‘Cabernet without the pain’. It’s a surprise then that the ‘Sideways effect’ had no impact on the drinking habits of Americans: in a 2010 Nielsen survey of Merlot drinkers, 45% said they never saw the movie, and 93% of those who saw the movie say it had no effect on their opinion of Merlot. In addition, Merlot is the most popular wine in the USA today, red or white, and has the highest repeat purchase rate of any variety there.
Let’s get Serious
In the Haut Medoc (Bordeaux), the dominant Cabernet Sauvignon relies on Merlot to make it more approachable. Most of the big name chateaux – Chateau Lafite, Latour, Margaux and the rest – use about 30% Merlot in their reds, and small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Even Chateau Haut Brion in Graves in the western suburbs of Bordeaux uses almost 50% Merlot. Merlot used to be helpful in cooler years since it ripens earlier than the Cabernet, but with most chateaux picking later (and some say global warming), Bordeaux reds have become big and rich and ripe. LINK
Pomerol and St Emilion and are two small areas on the right bank of the Gironde (near Libourne) that are home to some big names. Pomerol’s Chateau Petrus is one of the most expensive reds you can buy at $1000 a bottle, and it’s made entirely of Merlot. Other Merlot-dominant reds with big names in Pomerol include Chateaux Lafleur Petrus, Trotanoy, Le Pin, Vieux Château Certan and L’Eglise-Clinet.
In St Emilion, Merlot dominant blends are made by Chateaux Ausone (55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot) and Cheval Blanc (60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot). As it happens, the 61 Cheval Blanc was the most prized wine in Miles’ cellar in the movie Sideways.
Merlot Down Under
If you’re wondering why we’re devoting words to such fancy wines on a website that’s focused on wines under $20, bear with us. Merlot on its own has mostly found a home at the low end of the market, offering easy soft reds for people who don’t drink a lot of reds. Much the same story as in the USA. A bottle of Oyster Bay Merlot we tasted last year was a lot like Ribena with alcohol.
There are exceptions: Richard Hamilton Lot 148 Merlot 2012 ($15 at Winedirect), and Leconfield Merlot 2013 ($19 at Dan M’s). As it happens, both wineries are part of the same stable, and Paul Gordon makes both of these wines (one from McLaren Vale, the other from Coonawarra fruit). As it also happens, Kemenys are selling the Leconfield Merlot under a hidden label for $12. This is one of our best Merlots, and that you can buy it for $12 is ridiculous.
At the top of our market, Merlot is usually blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, although there are exceptions such Jim Irvine’s Merlot Royale and grand Merlot which sell for $250 and $130 a bottle. Bird in Hand is a newer Adelaide Hills winery that makes a Nest Egg Merlot 2012 for $100, and sells a decade older version for $200.
Margaret River takes the Crown
We make many Cabernet Merlot blends these days, or ‘Bordeaux’ blends with some Cabernet Franc, Malbec or Petit Verdot thrown in. The Cullen Diana Madeline Cabernet Blend and the Lindeman’s Pyrus are two well-known examples of that style, but you don’t have to pay $50 or $100 a bottle to get a good example. Rosily Vineyard The Cartographer 2010 is $23 at the winery. It’s an elegant, stylish wine with a lot more finesse than most.
There’s so much Cabernet Merlot coming out of the west that they’ve become the best value reds in the country. A couple of years ago, a $15 West Cape Howe cabernet merlot 2011 beat more than 500 wines from across Australia in a tasting arranged by Tony Jordan for the West Australian. You don’t even have to pay $15 to get a good example of the style, as this list shows.
Amberley Secret Lane Cabernet Merlot 2013 – $11 at OurCellar. Incredible value.
Brookland Valley Verse 1 Cabernet Merlot 2011 – $14 at Kemenys. Trophies and gold medals.
West Cape Howe Cabernet Merlot 2012 – $15 at Dan M’s. Bigger and less refined than the 2011
Fraser Gallop Estate Cabernet Merlot 2012 – $16 at Wineonline. From a small boutique.
Hay Shed Hill Cabernet Merlot 2012 – $17 at MyCellars. From a bigger boutique.
Clairault Cabernet Merlot 2012 – $20 at MyCellars. Lovely red this, smooth, velvety
Woodlands Cabernet Merlot 2012 – $22 at Winestar. Always a stand-out
Watershed Senses Cabernet Merlot 2011 – $23 at Kemenys. Don’t know this one. 96 from JH.
Cape Mentelle Wilyabrup Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Cabernet Franc 2011 – $38 at Kemenys
Woodlands Margaret 2011 – $39 at Kemenys. One of our best reds regardless of price.
Chateau Teyssier St Emilion Grand Cru Classe 2009 – $45 at Kemenys. Don’t know this but it looks like an affordable example of the original – 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc.
Lindemans Pyrus Cabernet Malbec Merlot 2010 – $55 at Kemenys. Serious wine with a pedigree
Voyager Estate Cabernet Merlot 2009 – $55 at MyCellars. Same again
Petaluma Cabernet Merlot 2010 – $60 at MyCellars. Same again
Te Mata Coleraine Cabernet Merlot 2010 – $70 at Kemenys. Same again, from across the Tasman
Bird In Hand Nest Egg Merlot 2012 – $80 at Kemenys.
Cullen Diana Madeline Cabernet Blend 2012 – $100 at MyCellars. A serious classic.
Kim
