Merlot 101

What is the best Merlot wine?

Public Comments

1. Georis merlot (www.georiswine.com) is one of the best around, and quite a good value. They have a great tasting room in Carmel Valley -- I blogged about it here: http://quattrowine.typepad.com/the_silk_road_of_wine/2005/11/georis_winery_c.html
2. Try Alapay Cellars in Paso Robles, California - 2003 Merlot. It is the only Merlot that I have ever tried that i actually liked. It has hints of Rasberries and Chocolate. You might be able to find a bottle for around $15.
3. Chateau Petrus is the most famous wine in the world made from the Merlot grape. The Chateau is in the Pomerol region of Bordeaux, France and makes its wine from Merlot and a little Cabernet Franc. The 1961 and 1989 vintages are considered the finest ever made. The 1961 sells for about $6000-7000, the 1989 for about $2000-3000. The Chateau was established in the 19th century and produces about 2,500 cases per year.
4. Take hint from Sideways, "I'm not drinking a F@$%**# Merlot!". There is a reason for that. Unless you are drinking a high quility wine, most Merlots are cheap imitations of what they are truely meant to be. I recomend finding a new favorite red that has class, like a Pinot Noir or Zinfandel.
5. Ah. But that was the joke in Sideways. He hated Merlot, but his most prized bottle was Petrus (ie. Merlot). The reason so much is crap is because there was a boom and people planted it everywhere. Any grape planted in the wrong location is going to make crap wine. Good California ones include Pride, Ridge, Shafer, Swanson and St. Supery. I've never had a bad one from Washington.