Merlot
Bordeaux's most-produced grape; similar to cabernet sauvignon, rounder and plumper but can be every bit as structured and tannic.
About the grape
Very similar in flavor and texture to cabernet sauvignon, merlot is easily confused with it in blind tastings, sharing the same father, cabernet franc. Its flavors include blackberry, cassis, baked cherries, plums, licorice, dark chocolate, and mocha, usually lacking cabernet's hint of green tobacco. Though famous for roundness and lack of tannin, in rocky, well-drained soils in top appellations merlot can be every bit as structured, commanding, and tannic as cabernet sauvignon. It is Bordeaux's leading grape by production, especially on the Right Bank (Pomerol, St.-Émilion, and the nearly all-merlot Château Pétrus), with a sleeker style from Washington State, Chile, and northern Italy.
Where it grows
Bordeaux, Cachapoal Valley, California, Central Valley, Colchagua Valley, Hawke's Bay, Maipo Valley, Maule, Napa Valley, Washington
