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in Bordeaux have honed their blends to
mirror their terroir and house style with
different percentages of Merlot, Cabernet
Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and
Petit Verdot. Comparing wines from dif‐
ferent communes (e.g., Pauillac, Mar‐
gaux, St. Estephe) can be educational
and a taste treat, and even comparing
neighbors in the same commune (Duhart
Milon and Lynch Bages in Pauillac).
The well-made, reasonably priced
Merlot wines in the $20 to $30 range can
be enjoyed within a couple of years of
bottling. They will have mid-level acids
and tannins, for easy sipping with appe‐
tizers, picnic fare, pizza, pasta, barbe‐
cued and grilled meats. They will soften
with a few more years of bottle aging, but
aging doesn’t make an average wine into
a great one.
The premium Merlot wines and
blends, especially those aged in oak bar‐
rels, can age well for five to ten years
and more. These wines are mostly made
from low-yielding vineyards, picked by
magic from their vineyards with different hand, with the grapes culled on sorting
varietals, including Cabernet Sauvignon tables to eliminate marginal grapes and
and Sangiovese. then babied through fermentation and
Chile—The Central Valley, Colchagua barrel aging before bottling.
Valley, and Maule Valley are key areas. As with other classic varietals, Merlot
Australia, Argentina, and South Africa and the blends improve with oak aging,
are other countries issuing quality Merlots, which adds further nuances to the aroma,
from the lower-priced spread to Bordeaux bouquet, and tastes. Winemakers develop
blends and 100% varietal offerings. their own barrel aging regimen to suit
Merlot thrives in a variety of moderate their terroir and style of the wine they
climates and soils, including clay, sand, want to perpetuate (e.g., all new oak; 50%
limestone, and alluvial soils. It is heartier new and 50% one-year-old; one-third new,
and easier to grow and produce than thin‐ one-third a year old, one-third two years
ner-skinned varietals, such as Pinot Noir. It old, or in larger barriques with little oak
can stand alone or be a reliable compo‐ influences).
nent in blends across different terroirs. Its The best wines have complex noses
softer tannins and velvety texture provide and multi-layered structures that evolve
balance against the more tannic qualities over time. We’ve enjoyed some Napa
of Cabernet Sauvignon or Sangiovese, beauties over 20 years old and St. Emil‐
among others. For centuries, winemakers ion and Pomerol classics up to 40 years
78 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE WINTER 2025
