You, me and merlot
Merlot stems from the Bordeaux region in France and is a half-sibling to Cabernet Sauvignon. It became popular in the states partly because it is easy to drink and less tannic than Cab Sav but also because it was easier to pronounce… Then when Miles said “I am not drinking any *** merlot” in the cult movie sideways (2004), it quickly fell out of fashion.
Comparisons between its brother do not stop there and merlot really struggles to throws punches at the king Cab. Its reputation is that of a cheap, uninteresting wine and the wine of “people who don’t know what else to drink”. I conducted a poll on twitter and it turns out that about half the people are “yay” and the other half are “no”. What about merlot turns people off? Is the grape incapable of complex, interesting wine?
The Problem with merlot in South Africa
Merlot in South Africa is bad primarily for 3 main reasons. Firstly, the clones of merlot that have been planted in South Africa are to be blamed for poor quality. Now technical terms are often blatantly thrown at audiences so let me attempt to briefly explain clones. All vines are equal but some are more equal than others. Most vines are created by selecting a shoot from an existing vine and then crafting that on an inconsequential (at least for this topic) rootstock. This new vine will have the exact same DNA and therefore the exact same characteristics as its single parent. However, a new vine could also be created by cross-pollination between the flowers of two different vines. The resulting seed will inherit half the DNA of each parent and its characteristics will depend on the ensuing DNA. New clones are created all the time in universities and laboratories and once the desired characteristic are obtained, they are then replicated by crafting. The desired attribute could be drought resistance or high yield for instance. Most, and I use this term loosely as I do not have proper figures, of the merlot plantings are from a clone selected for its high yield and not for its high quality. One could argue that the solution would be just to uproot the “bad” clone and plant a “better” clone. Well, easier said than done since uprooting and replanting is an incredibly expensive operation.
Merlot is made in the vineyard and not in the cellar
Merlot is a wine known to be made in the vineyard and not in cellar and viticulturists seem to struggle. While pinot noir grapes are notoriously hard to get, merlot is hard to get right. Mess up with pinot and you won’t even get any grapes to make wine. But with merlot, things are a little more convoluted. The grape is difficult to get properly ripe and partially riped grapes ends up into the wine. While this might not be such a big deal with other grapes, this definitely reflects in merlot. Another problem is canopy management. Good canopy management will help with ripening by exposing the berries to the sun. In fact, both are heavily linked as they both cause the same flaw in the wine: too many leaves on the vine or grapes that are too green and the wine ends up tasting leafy. This greenness is due to pyrazines, the same compound that gives sauvignon blanc its particular grassy and herbaceous flavours. Pyrazines are not necessarily a bad thing but with merlot it is mostly out of place, unpleasant and not very complimentary to the wine. This aroma has become a distinct characteristic of the grape in South Africa and in fact, it is my surefire way to spot a merlot in a blind tasting.
To conclude, clones, ripeness and canopy management are the three factors that plague merlot in South Africa. Merlot will always be compared to its half sibling Cabernet Sauvignon and the latter seems to have the upper hand. However, Chateau Pétrus, a 100% merlot from Bordeaux, is one of the most prized wines in the World. Merlot deserves a place in the sun; it’s just that when wrong, it can be awfully wrong but when right, it will blow your mind. Hereby my favourites:
These wines are not cheap at R130–160. However these are the best of the lot and a bargain compared to their equivalent in shiraz or pinot noir. No greenness at all but instead expect smooth velvety tannins, specially with the De Grendel and Eagles’ Nest. A good merlot should not taste herbaceous and will have notes of black berries and plums, even violets. The Shannon merlot stood out for me because it had a unique cayenne pepper taste that I have not tasted in any other wine. This probably comes from the pyrazines, proving that it is not always out of place even if it is the exception rather than the rule.
If you do try those, let me know what you think.
Further Reading:
Pyrazines: Why Some Wines Taste like Bell Pepper by WineFolly
