‘Cabernet may be king but Merlot proved emperor’
Following a series of db blind tastings, Patrick Schmitt MW concludes that, despite popular opinion from the movie Sideways, Merlot’s problem is perception, not reality. The post ‘Cabernet may be king but Merlot proved emperor’ appeared first on The Drinks Business.
Following a series of db blind tastings, Patrick Schmitt MW concludes that, despite popular opinion from the movie Sideways, Merlot’s problem is perception, not reality.
Only last month, a family member served me wine with the line: “You won’t like this – it’s Merlot.” Of course, my relatives like to poke fun at my inner wine snob, but normally it’s done with discounter-sourced bottles, poured ‘blind’, followed by a triumphant reveal that it cost just £6 from Lidl – that is, if I say it’s any good.But in this case, they weren’t having a dig – this was quite a high-end wine – they were just airing an assumption that anyone in the trade would spurn something as seemingly unsophisticated as Merlot.
So I shocked them by responding: “Actually, it’s my favourite grape.”
At that time, it was. I had recently been lucky enough to attend a vertical tasting of the high-priced varietal Tuscan Merlot that is Masseto.
Following this, I’d taken part in our annual Global Merlot Masters, which you can read more about here. Also, if I look back over the years, many of the most delicious liquids I’ve been lucky enough to imbibe have been made with Merlot, either as a dominant component in a blend, or as a varietal wine.
I’ve mentioned Masseto – a wine I’ve adored ever since drinking a fully mature example over dinner with a collector in Hong Kong. But so many other great bottles have been from this grape. And no, they haven’t just been from those most famous for it – Petrus and Le Pin – simply because I don’t get to drink such rarefied wines.
However, I was lucky enough to enjoy some Château La Conseillante in 2024, a remarkable Merlot-dominant wine that was our best bottle from last year’s Bordeaux Masters, beating the competition from right across Bordeaux and not just Pomerol.
As for our top Merlot of 2025, dubbed our Grand Master – that was from Napa (Black Stallion Estate's Limited Release). Cabernet may be king in this region, but Merlot proved emperor.
Most will, however, stick with Cabernet, and that’s because Merlot’s problem is perception, not reality. It’s tempting to blame this on 2004’s wine-based surprise Hollywood blockbuster Sideways, in which lead character Miles says he’ll leave the table if anyone orders “fucking Merlot”.
While this was a factor, Merlot’s image problem was by and large of its own making: rather as with Chardonnay, what was good about Merlot became exaggerated until it became best-known for sickly sweet, fruit-cake wines – as opposed to delicious, ripe reds with tannins firm enough to dry the palate and preserve the liquid for extended cellaring. But, just as Chardonnay has come back into fashion, I’m wondering if Merlot will too. Should that happen, I hope Merlot master François Mitjavile – the man behind Tertre Rôtebeouf and the more affordable Roc de Cambes – gets the recognition for greatness he deserves.
As for what’s on the supermarket wine aisles (rather than the merchant’s websites), there is a problem for Merlot. While the variety once held a position as the go-to rich red for everyday drinking, it has been superseded by Malbec. And, let’s face it, that’s not a grape about to give up its dominant place any time soon. Having said that, one of this year’s best Merlots was from a place most famous for Malbec – Mendoza.
Would Argentina put Merlot on the wine drinker’s map? Only if the mainstream, or a reimagined Miles, turned against Malbec.
Only last month, a family member served me wine with the line: “You won’t like this – it’s Merlot.” Of course, my relatives like to poke fun at my inner wine snob, but normally it’s done with discounter-sourced bottles, poured ‘blind’, followed by a triumphant reveal that it cost just £6 from Lidl – that is, if I say it’s any good.But in this case, they weren’t having a dig – this was quite a high-end wine – they were just airing an assumption that anyone in the trade would spurn something as seemingly unsophisticated as Merlot.
So I shocked them by responding: “Actually, it’s my favourite grape.”
At that time, it was. I had recently been lucky enough to attend a vertical tasting of the high-priced varietal Tuscan Merlot that is Masseto.
Following this, I’d taken part in our annual Global Merlot Masters, which you can read more about here. Also, if I look back over the years, many of the most delicious liquids I’ve been lucky enough to imbibe have been made with Merlot, either as a dominant component in a blend, or as a varietal wine.
I’ve mentioned Masseto – a wine I’ve adored ever since drinking a fully mature example over dinner with a collector in Hong Kong. But so many other great bottles have been from this grape. And no, they haven’t just been from those most famous for it – Petrus and Le Pin – simply because I don’t get to drink such rarefied wines.
However, I was lucky enough to enjoy some Château La Conseillante in 2024, a remarkable Merlot-dominant wine that was our best bottle from last year’s Bordeaux Masters, beating the competition from right across Bordeaux and not just Pomerol.
As for our top Merlot of 2025, dubbed our Grand Master – that was from Napa (Black Stallion Estate's Limited Release). Cabernet may be king in this region, but Merlot proved emperor.
Most will, however, stick with Cabernet, and that’s because Merlot’s problem is perception, not reality. It’s tempting to blame this on 2004’s wine-based surprise Hollywood blockbuster Sideways, in which lead character Miles says he’ll leave the table if anyone orders “fucking Merlot”.
While this was a factor, Merlot’s image problem was by and large of its own making: rather as with Chardonnay, what was good about Merlot became exaggerated until it became best-known for sickly sweet, fruit-cake wines – as opposed to delicious, ripe reds with tannins firm enough to dry the palate and preserve the liquid for extended cellaring. But, just as Chardonnay has come back into fashion, I’m wondering if Merlot will too. Should that happen, I hope Merlot master François Mitjavile – the man behind Tertre Rôtebeouf and the more affordable Roc de Cambes – gets the recognition for greatness he deserves.
As for what’s on the supermarket wine aisles (rather than the merchant’s websites), there is a problem for Merlot. While the variety once held a position as the go-to rich red for everyday drinking, it has been superseded by Malbec. And, let’s face it, that’s not a grape about to give up its dominant place any time soon. Having said that, one of this year’s best Merlots was from a place most famous for Malbec – Mendoza.
Would Argentina put Merlot on the wine drinker’s map? Only if the mainstream, or a reimagined Miles, turned against Malbec. 
