Overview of Merlot Merlot is one of the classic grapes of Bordeaux and is grown worldwide with a similar distribution to Cabernet Sauvignon, with which it is often blended. It is the minor partner in the wines of the Médoc, and the major component (blended with Cabernet Franc rather than Cabernet Sauvignon) in the wines of St. Emilion and Pomerol. In the Bordeaux-like blends of New world wines, its usual partner is Cabernet Sauvignon. The most extensive plantings in the New World are in California. It is used relatively rarely to make a single varietal wine, and it is only an exceptional Merlot that ages well as a single varietal, although it ages well in the context of the Bordeaux blend.
Merlot buds, flowers, and ripens relatively early (up to two weeks earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon), exposing it to the risks of Spring frosts; difficulties with flowering (at coulure and millerandage) are quite common. Depending on ripeness, Merlot goes from green , vegetal (peppery), ripe (cherries, prunes, sous bois, humus, truffle—specific to Bordeaux), to over-ripe (figs, cooked prunes), and rancio with aging. In principle it can do better in a cool climate than Cabernet Sauvignon. Its thin skin makes it susceptible to rot, which can be a problem especially if there is rain around the time of the vintage. It goes from ripeness to overripeness rather quickly, making the time of picking important (in which it is more sensitive than Cabernet Sauvignon). It therefore does not like too much heat.
Soil: As a precocious variety, it does well on calcareous, argilocalcareous, or clay soils with good water reserves because the plant does not maintain a high water reserve, making clay and limestone good choices. It does not respond well to hydric stress, which results in over ripe grapes. The early ripening allows it to cope better with cold soils than does Cabernet Sauvignon, so it does well on the clay of the Right Bank (where Cabernet Sauvignon does not do so well, even though the overall climate is slightly warmer than the Left Bank). The proportion of clay in some Pomerol vineyards is up to 60% (notably at Château Pétrus).
Regions of Merlot The worldwide distribution of plantings of Merlot is similar to that of Cabernet Sauvignon, although with a bias toward emphasis on slightly cooler climates. Merlot is the most widely planted varietal in Bordeaux (there is roughly twice as much Merlot as Cabernet Sauvignon). There have been setbacks in its use in Bordeaux, first in the cold winter of 1956 that killed many Merlot vines, then in a series of vintages in the 1960s where the Merlot was killed by rot. This led to a ban on new plantings from 1970-1975. Italy is the second-largest producer, where it is widely planted in the NorthEast, but mostly using clones that were selected for high production. It is a cépage ameliorateur in Languedoc-Roussillon, widely planted in Romania, with California following. It is being planted in New Zealand, where it may do better than Cabernet Sauvignon in cool climates.
Viticulture of Merlot Merlot is usually regarded as ripening reliably and being easy to grow. It has larger grapes than Cabernet Sauvignon, has lower tannins and higher sugars, and is low on acid in warm climates. This makes it popular for wines intended for early drinking, for example, AOCBordeaux. Canopy management can overcome the problems that can give rise to herbaceous qualities in cooler climates. It is a productive grape that adapts more easily to its environment than does Cabernet Sauvignon. It is important to use a rootstock that controls the natural vigor in order to avoid making dilute wines that can show vegetal flavors.
Clones of Merlot There are many clones, with the majority giving high yield. They vary in berry size, but most often are of average size, blue-black in color, very juicy, thin skinned (hence the relatively low tannins). When vinified as a monovarietal, Merlot is dark colored, full bodied, high in alcohol.
The taste of Merlot Merlot is considered typically to show soft, plumy flavors, with forward fruits and not too much tannin. It is considered the perfect partner to blend with Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot contributing fruits and the Cabernet contributing structure and tannins. This is true equally for high quality wines, where the flavor spectra of the two varietals are considered to complement one another to make a more complex wine, and for cheaper wines where the Merlot gives fruitiness for immediate drinking but the Cabernet Sauvignon gives some tannic structure. The Merlot also contributes more alcohol than the Cabernet, typically being about a percent greater in level. Merlot supports a well-rounded attack and complements the tannins of Cabernet Sauvignon. However, Merlot can show herbaceous qualities in cool climates (this used to show in St. Emilion until the transition to harvesting super-mature grapes), and also when yields are high. The vast majority of Merlot in Europe is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, but there are some exceptions in Bordeaux and elsewhere in France, and monovarietals are produced in Italy. Vinification as a monovarietal is more common in California, Chile, and sometimes Australia:
The most famous monovarietal in France is Pétrus, which is extremely rich and full bodied. Elsewhere on the Right BankMerlot is the majority component blended with Cabernet Franc to add structure; on the Left Bank it is the minor component that adds middle palate to the Cabernet Sauvignon.
Monovarietals in Italy tend to be much lighter wines except for the exceptional cases of some Super Tuscans where Merlot may be the sole variety or the major component in a blend.
New World Merlots tend to have relatively low acidity and may show a lack of density on the mid palate.
Intensely colored and flavored Merlots are produced in Chile, with the fruits tamed by a touch of tannins; they show a rather broad flavor spectrum of black fruits, but tending towards damsons. The most intense Merlots can be similar to Cabernet Sauvignon, and are denser than Carmenère.
Merlots in California often emphasize a velvety texture as much as flavor, with a very smooth, almost bland palate, that has in some cases given California Merlot a bad name.
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