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The O'Shea Scarborough "Release the Fervor" Merlot 06 is one of the most powerful Merlots winemaker and owners Travis and Darryn have ever made—but not overly oaked or out of balance by any means. Rich and powerful, this might almost be confused...read more
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Novelty Hill Merlot 05 - This rich, aromatic wine is generous on the palate with layers of delicious vanilla, ripe black cherry and deep, concentrated mocha. Lush and silky, the finish is as smooth as it is long.
85% Merlot 11% Cabernet Sauvign...read more
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Red Diamond Merlot is a great value from a new winery, part of the Ste Michelle group. Elsewhere on the web, it's $14 a bottle - this is the exact same wine, we don't know why the huge price elsewhere online.
From the winery: "The line in t...read more
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Pedestal Merlot 06 - Wine Spec 93 pts Michel Rolland is the world's most prominent winemaker, traveling among the world's top wineries to consult on the makeup of their finest wines. In Washington State, he makes one wine - Pe...read more
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From the winery: "This is a blend made from some of the very best vineyards in Washington State including Seven Hills Vineyard, Conner Lee Vineyard, Ciel du Cheval Vineyard, and Klipsun Vineyard. The blend, which also includes 4% Cabernet Sauvigno...read more
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Corvidae Wine Company's "Rook" blended red wine is a crowd-pleaser. It's a blend of Cabernet, Merlot, and Syrah from three distinctly different vineyards - Ironbird Vineyard, in Southern Oregon's Applegate Valley, Erickson Vineyard, in Washin...read more
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Fielding Hills Merlot 06 received 93 points from Wine Spectator (11/12/08) : "Ripe, round and generous, this sumptuous wine offers layers of gorgeous blackberry and black cherry flavors, hinting at toast and spice on the creamy-te...read more
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Natalie's Estate Merlot Rock Horse Ranch 06
Price: $27.95
$25.16 - Any 12 bottles
- regular size (375 or 750 ml)
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Natalie's Estate Merlot Rock Horse Ranch 06 - A whole lot of Merlot: Rich, sweet cherry and plum flavors with elements of meatiness, mint, and black pepper on the finish. Nicely strucured for drinking over the next few years. Sourced from the ...read more
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Natalies Estate Merlot, Pines Vineyard 07 releases 2-09...read more
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From the winery: "big and lush, rich in jammy fruit, with subtle floral and herbal notes."...read more
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Nelms Road Merlot is a second label for Woodward Canyon wWinery. Flavors of ripe cherries and other red fruits marry nicely with spice and vanilla from French and American barrels. Great value.jy...read more
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Wine Press Northwest says: EXCELLENT - "...hit the nail on the head with nice cherry and berry components. The merlot comes through, offering smooth, balanced flavors, with the oak giving off touches of vanilla." Pleasing and inviting aroma of ...read more
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92 points Wine Advocate. Dusty malt, dried herbs and bright cherry flavors are balanced well into this smoothly-structured wine that concludes with a supple, lingering finish.
Wine Advocate says: "Chocolate, blackberries, and cassis can...read more
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Deep flavors of black cherry and blackberry blend with concentrated flavors of mocha and anise. Aged for 20 months in French and American oak barrles, this Merlot has a long supple finish.
...read more
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Characteristic cedary, silky black cherry fruit, with cool mint and baking spice aromas and a gripping, yet elegant mix of blueberry, blackberry and cocoa on a long lingering finish....read more
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Barnard Griffin Cabernet/Merlot Blend has raspberry fruit, herbal complexity and toasted French and American oak aromas. Flavors are dominated by direct fruit, medium acidity and a moderate tannic finish round out the wine. Delicious soft, approachab...read more
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A ripe, food-friendly Merlot exhibitng a broad array of flavors and aromas - toffee, violets, herb and vanilla accent ripe red and black fruit, with generous depth and length. 83% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, sourced primarily from the esteemed old bl...read more
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Complex black cherry, currant, leather and balanced oak aromas. This wine has rich black cherry, plum and currant flavors with hints of chocolate on the finish. Smooth mouthfeel, balanced acidity and focused flavors.
...read more
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Concentrated mocha, vanilla and blueberry aromas along with a very deep purple hue, a hint of oak and a lingering finish. Rich, sumptuous bright cherry and blueberry aromas and flavors, enhanced with nuances of mocha and vanillin oak, a lush, full pa...read more
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Canoe Ridge Merlot 03
Price: $24.75
$22.27 - Any 12 bottles
- regular size (375 or 750 ml)
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Wine Press NW says: "One of Washington's top Merlot producers shows its stuff with this bright red. Excellent fruit-to-oak balance and nice elegance through the finish. Won gold at the Grand Harvest Awards."
From the winery: "...elegant, clas...read more
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From the winery: "Very dark purple-red color. The bouquet is of jammy blackberries, decadent ripe black sweet cherries, vanilla, barrel toast, graham. The flavors mirror that of the bouquet with additional notes of sweet tobacco leaf and light cedar....read more
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Aromas of dark chocolate, plum and herb are accompanied by smooth, rich flavors and firm structure....read more
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Pedestal Merlot 06 - Wine Spec 93 pts Michel Rolland is the world's most prominent winemaker, traveling among the world's top wineries to consult on the makeup of their finest wines. In Washington State, he makes one wine - Pe...read more
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Boudreaux Cellars Merlot 05 is made in a less than 200 case lot, and is extremely limited.
A monster Merlot, built for Bordeaux fans. Cherry cola, new leather, plum, shade leaf tobacco, and cinnamon are wrapped around a dense core of red and b...read more
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Dusted Valley's Boomtown Merlot and Syrah are the winery's best value offerings. ...read more
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Sineann Merlot Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard 07 is one of Peter Rosback's red wines made from a California vineyard's fruit.
Peter describes his philosophy of Merlot: "Dark and concentrated. Crop sizes are kept small, 2.1 tons per acre, and it...read more
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Wine Spectator 92 points: "Lithe, open-textured and distinctive for its complex, rose petal tinged blackberry, espresso and licorice flavors, mingling on the classy, expressive finish. Drink now through 2016. 225 cases made." - HS
From the w...read more
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Hogue Merlot Reserve 05 - earth, spice, leather and black olive aromas complemented by soft oak and ripe berry. Flavors are of dark chocolate and cream, intense raspberry fruit and herbal mint spice. It has great structure and mature tannins, with...read more
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From the winery:
Layers of lush, black cherry, sweet plum, blackberries, wood spice, vanilla, and a touch of cocoa. The flavors are consistent with the aromas, having sweet cherry, Marionberry, and mocha balancing a nice spicy oak component. Round ba...read more
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The aromas of ripe plum, black currant, and rich spices are balanced with touch of sweet oak and vanilla. Flavors of blackberry, currant, and black cherry dominate the surprisingly full mouth feel, with sweet vanilla as a compliment. The long, firm, ...read more
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Substance Merlot 06 is a delicious, mouthful of Merlot of great-value WA State Merlot. Plums and dark currants move to sweeter notes of red cherries on the finish. Soft and round in texture, the Substance has hints of herbal spice accenting the ...read more
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Rich, smooth, black cherry and smoke. Excellent Merlot from southern Oregon....read more
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Badger Mountain Merlot has no sulfites added. Great complex aromas with dark fruits like black cherry, raspberry, and blackberry dominating the subtle spicy undertones. Flavor complexity is enhanced with a background of toasty oak to compliment the ...read more
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Barnard Griffin Merlot has aromas of black cherry and black current are balanced with oak, spice, nutmeg, and vanilla. Bright fruit flavors dominate in the mouth with a lively acidity and moderate but smooth tannins....read more
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Barnard Griffin's Reserve Merlot 05 received 92 points from Wine Spectator: "Ripe and juicy, with a mouthful of cherry and currant fruit at the core, hinting at carpaccio and red beet notes as the flavors roll on and on. Wafts of...read more
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Bergevin Lane Merlot 05
Price: $28.75
$25.88 - Any 12 bottles
- regular size (375 or 750 ml)
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Smooth and supple, this is an elegant, medium- bodied Merlot that shows bright cherry and plum flavors. Notes of chocolate and silky tannins round out the nice long finish....read more
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The heady aromatics demand your attention. Scents of blackberry and vanilla come through clearly on the nose. Rich and Deep. Black current and spicy clove overtones combine in the glycerin like mid palate. Well integrated soft tannins and a hint o...read more
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The bright garnet color of this wine lends instant appeal. A rich, toasty oak, combined with lush, concentrated dark cherry and berry aromas greet the nose. Flavors of chocolate, spice and plum linger on the palate. This bold Merlot has a rich, well-...read more
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Rich and spicy, with aromatic aromas of nutmeg, clove and cinnamon, this Merlot shows ripe black plum, blackberry and dark flavors encased in a peppery, chocolate, black cherry finish.
80% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2%...read more
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Northstar Merlot Columbia Valley 05 - An elegant wine that opens with bold aromas of raspberry, mint, maple, chocolate, clove, coconut and licorice, it's medium-bodied, dense and muscular with a bold, rich, smoky coffee-mocha finish.
...read more
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Although not called an Ice Wine, this is not a typical "Late harvest". It is intense and rich as an ice wine, just does not fit the strict requirement of having been picked, frozen, off the vine. Quite an experience....read more
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90 Wine Enthusiast The 15.5% alcohol does not get in the way of subtlety here. This typically stylish, 100% Merlot is smooth and supple, and it retains the fresh herbal highlights that are usually obliterated by high octane wines. This is a substanti...read more
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Sineann's style is dark, aromatic with chocolate overtones and complex, silky tannins. A big, plush juicy wine.
"Dark and concentrated. Crop sizes are kept small, 2.1 tons per acre, and it pays. These wines are dark, aromatic with chocolate o...read more
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Wine Spectator 89 points. Dark and juicy, a lively mouthful of blackberry, cassis and hints of smoke as the finish persists impressively. Attractive now, but should develop more depth as it settles in. Best from 2009 through 2014. 1,684 cases ma...read more
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Charles Smith's great value Washington State Merlot....read more
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MORE INFORMATION
Merlot is to the American
wine consumer in the 2000's as "burgundy" was in the 70s:
the new generic red. A "boom" in wine consumption, combined
with the consumer trend to move away from generic wine blends and into
varietals, stimulated plantings of "new," as well as "proven" wine
grapes in the Pacific NW throughout the late 90's and continues today.
Perhaps
Washington’s most famous wine
is Merlot, a red wine that can be smooth and fruity or bold and rich
with complex flavors.
In the '90s, Washington emerged as one of
the great places in the world to grow and craft Merlot. The poor soils,
long days and
cool nights are just about perfect for this round, supple red wine.
British Columbia's South Okanagan Valley, Southern Oregon's Rogue and
Umpqua Valleys and Idaho's Snake River Valley also have strong potential
for the grape.
“Top to bottom, the quality of Washington
Merlot has improved for everybody,” said Charlie Hoppes, a Washington
winemaker since 1988, referring to a tasting of Washington Merlots in
2002.
“In
this judging, the ripe flavors and black fruit really stood out. And
there was good integration of oak. We didn’t taste too many Merlots
where the oak was overly aggressive.”
Rather than bright flavors often associated with the grape, Hoppes sees
a lot more dark tones in Washington Merlot.
“That’s the way I’ve seen Merlot go since ’93
or ’94. People are letting the grapes hang longer,” he said,
adding, “People in other parts of the country get confused because
they expect it to be softer than Cab. That’s what really distinguishes
Washington Merlot.”
Hoppes spent several years as Chateau
Ste. Michelle’s red winemaker
before putting Three Rivers Winery in Walla Walla on the map in 1999.
He recently left Three Rivers to launch his own brand, Fidelitas, and
he also makes wine for three Columbia Valley boutique wineries: Cañon
de Sol, Goose Ridge and Ryan Patrick.
History of the Grape
Merlot is by far
the most widely planted grape of the entire Bordeaux region and third,
behind carignan and grenache
as the most planted black variety in France. However, it has a starring
role in only one region, historically, north of Bordeaux's Gironde River,
where it is the basis of the wines of St. Emilion and Pomerol. Château
Petrus, which has risen in consumer stature in the past three decades,
is over 90% Merlot. South of the Gironde, however, merlot usually plays
a supporting role in typical Medoc blends with cabernet sauvignon and
cabernet franc. Château Palmer in the medoc is about 60% Merlot.
Because merlot
ripens at least a week earlier than either cabernet variety, it is "vineyard insurance" where
rains are a factor at harvest. It also has slightly higher yields and
grows
better than the cabernets in damp, cool soils. The disadvantages for
growers are more susceptibility to frost in the Spring, because merlot
both buds and flowers early, and failure to mature fruit if the climate
is dry and the vineyard well-drained. The berry of merlot is relatively
thin-skinned and prone to rot.
Merlot is moderately vigorous in vine growth, but
must sometimes be reined in from setting too large of a crop by judicious
pruning, often followed weeks later by cluster thinning. Merlot on fertile
soil may produce eight tons per acre, but best fruit quality is gained
if the crop is kept at six tons per acre or less. Paradoxically, merlot
is one of the varieties most prone to coulure, a condition that causes
the immature berries to fall off soon after flowering. Careful selection
of both clone and site can avoid this problem, as coulure is more serious
in colder climates.
While its flavor profile is similar to Cabernet
Sauvignon1, Merlot tends to be slightly more herbaceous overall in both
aroma and taste. Ripeness seems critical; both under ripe and overripe
grapes lean away from fruit and towards herbaceousness. Merlot has slightly
lower natural acidity than Cabernet and generally less astringency, therefore
usually a more lush mouth-feel.
The most frequent, but not exclusive, aromas and
flavors typically found in Merlot include:
|
Typical Merlot Smell
and/or Flavor Descriptors
|
Varietal Aromas/Flavors: |
Processing Bouquets/Flavors: |
Fruit: currant, black cherry,
plum |
Oak (light): vanilla, coconut,
sweet wood |
Floral: violet, rose |
Oak (heavy): oak, smoke, toast,
tar |
Spice: caramel, clove, bay leaf,
green peppercorn |
Bottle Age: truffle, mushroom,
earth, coffee,leather, cedar, cigar box |
Herbal: bell pepper, green olive |
. |
Earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon to mature in bottle,
Merlot is held in higher esteem by wine drinkers than by wine collectors.
Syrah is richer and darker, Pinot Noir lighter
and more velvety, but Merlot has become the darling red wine. Is it because
the consumer finds Merlot easy-to-drink or is it perhaps, because Merlot
is easy-to-say? I'll have a glass of Merlot, please, while I think about
it.
Jim LaMar is editor
of Professional Friends of Wine, instructs Introductory Sensory Evaluation
of Wine at California State University, Fresno, and has been drinking,
thinking, teaching and writing about wine for 30 years. He is a member
of Professional Friends of Wine.
---------------------------
NOTES
1. A recent study by an analytical chemist at the University of Bordeaux determined
that the flavor distinction between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot was possibly
due to the grapes containing different amounts of one chemical: 4-hyroxy-2,5-
dimethylfuran-3(2H)-1, or HDMF. Four times the level of HDMF in Merlot accounted
for a more pronounced "caramel" flavor, according to the panel of
expert taster subjects, who graded nine samples on the relative strength of
12 aroma categories.
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