Often hard to get right and sometimes difficult to love, Merlot can be a challenge for winemakers. But the best wines really do shine, says Patricia Stefanowicz MW.

Despite being widely planted and sold as a varietal wine from regions as diverse as damp Bordeaux and dry Chile, Merlot does not have a particularly great reputation, and often seems relegated to being a blending partner for the more characterful Cabernet Sauvignon and its relatives, Cabernet Franc and Carmenere.

So, it was with more than a little trepidation that the judges embarked on our 2024 Global Merlot Masters.

Early-budding and early-ripening, Merlot might seem like a grape grower ’s dream. But Merlot is a difficult grape to get right. With big berries, thin skins and juicy fruit, Merlot is attractive to the blackbird after which it is named, merlau.

So, Merlot is often subject to these avian predators at veraison and during ripening. If the tiny birds do not eat the berries, they damage them and leave sites for disease. And, subsequently, even if the grapes seem healthy, with all that lovely sweet juice potential alcohol levels can be shockingly high. So the conundrum for many producers is when to pick, and how to handle the grapes.

As expected, the Merlot Masters was a relatively small competition, with fewer wines than many of our other Global Masters. But there were certainly some glittering stars among the wines judged. At under £15, there are some perfectly drinkable varietal wines, but the judges found that carefully-used oak or a blending partner, often Cabernet Sauvignon, adds dimension. Oaked wines at £15–£20 show more depth of flavour, and Wakefield/Taylors’ Estate Merlot from Clare Valley, Australia, stood out – with a few supporting acts from Turkey, Chile, South Africa and Bordeaux.

The excitement began to build at the £15–£20 price point. Here wines hit the sweet spot, with Gold medals awarded to many regions: Spain, Turkey, South Africa, Chile, Argentina and New Zealand, as well as a wonderful surprise, the Netherlands (using EU grapes). South Africa, and specifically the Western Cape area of Stellenbosch, stood out, displaying juicy fruit, well-judged use of oak and alcohol levels around 14%.

Above £20, shining stars emerged. Excellent examples from Domaine Fangsi in the eastern Helan Mountain region of China and from family-owned Kendall-Jackson in Sonoma County, California, show just how well careful selection of grapes and gentle use of oak ageing can produce delectable wines at almost affordable prices.

The fireworks – if Merlot can ever be said to produce them – began at £30. It is impossible to fault any of these wines. Golds from Napa Valley (Trefethen, Barlow), Turkey (Chamlija with its Asticus Mons), Arínzano from Spain, and now on the map Château La Fleur de Boüard from the right bank of Bordeaux, set an amazing standard. Napa Valley came top of the day, winning Master medals for the discreet, flavourful Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Merlot and the intense but elegant Mt Brave from Mount Veeder. The inimitable Philip Shaw was awarded a Gold medal for his Hoosegg Mountain Dragon from New South Wales.

What the judges praised most was the vibrant acidity, gentle tannic grip and the balance of fruit, oak and alcohol in all of these award-winning wines. No longer flabby and over-oaked, Merlot requires us to take the grape and its wines seriously.

Unoaked 100% Merlot

Oaked 100% Merlot

Oaked Merlot Blend