Merlot

Species: 

• Vitis vinifera

Type:

• Noir

Origin:

• France

Parents:

• Cross between Cabernet Franc and Magdeleine Noire des Charentes.

Principal Regions:

• Grown world-wide.  Prominent regions are France, Italy, Spain, US, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Argentina.

Viticulture:

• Clusters are loose with large berries.
• Vines tend to bud early which makes it susceptible to late frosts.

Sensory Characteristics:

• Tannins depend on the region and style, and can range from mild and silky tannins to bold and brawny.
• Notes of cassis, black and red cherry, blueberry, olive, leather, mushroom.

Food Pairings:

• Pairs well with a wide variety of dishes, from pizza to rack of lamb.

History:

• First mentioned in 1784 in the notes of a Bordeaux official who labeled wine made from the grape as one of the area’s best.
• The name is said to translate to “little blackbird” after a small bird similar in color to the grape.
• Many Merlot and Malbec vines were lost to a deep freeze that hit France in 1956.  Subsequent plantings were lost to rot resulting in a loss of entire vintages in the late 1950s and early 1960s.  From 1965 to 1970 the French government imposed a ban on new Merlot plantings.  This led to most Merlot vines in France today being relatively young compared to other varieties.

Notes:

• Merlot is the most widely planted grape in the Bordeaux wine region.
• Merlot is the dominant grape in the Bordeaux “Right Bank”.
• One of the most widely planted grapes globally.
• Merlot reached its peak popularity in the 1990’s, then experienced a severe drop in popularity after the movie Sideways came out in which Paul Giammatti’s character stated that the wine was bland.

Other names:

Alicante, Alicante Noir, Begney, Bidal, Bidalhe, Bidney, Bignay, Bigney, Bigney Rouge, Bini, Bini Ruzh, Bioney, Black Alicante, Bordeleza Belcha, Bordeleze Belcha, Cabernet Del Cleto, Crabutet, Crabutet Noir, Crabutet Noir Merlau, Ferjansckova, Hebigney, Higney, Higney Rouge, Lambrusco Munari, Langon, Lecchumskij, Medoc Noir, Merlan, Merlau, Merlau Rouge, Merlaud, Merlaut, Merlaut Noir, Merle, Merle Petite, Merleau, Merlo, Merlot, Merlot Black, Merlot Blau, Merlot Blauer, Merlot Crni, Merlot Nero, Merlott, Merlou, Odzalesi, Odzhaleshi, Odzhaleshi Legkhumskii, Petit Merle, Picard, Pikard, Plan Medre, Planet Medok, Plant Du Fleuve, Plant Du Medoc, Plant Medoc, Plant Medre, Saint Macaire, Seme De La Canau, Seme Dou Flube, Semilhon Rouge, Semilhoum Rouge, Semilhoun Rouge, Semillon Rouge, Sud Des Graves, Vidal, Vini Ticinesi, Vitraelle, Vitrai, Vitraille