Dror Nativ MW, Ben Gubbins and Andy Howard MW tasted 52 wines, with 4 Outstanding and 19 Highly Recommended.
South American Merlot: Panel tasting scores
52 wines tasted
Exceptional 0
Outstanding 4
Highly recommended 19
Recommended 25
Commended 3
Fair 1
Poor 0
Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their current-release, still red wines labelled as single-varietal Merlot, from any recognised appellation in South America and consisting of a minimum 85% Merlot
Merlot rarely gets the limelight. This is particularly true of Merlot from South America, where signature regional varieties – Argentinian Malbec, Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère, Uruguayan Tannat – dominate. Merlot is often overlooked, or blended with other varieties.
However, this panel tasting of 52 wines demonstrated that Merlot has the capability to surprise and delight, particularly when sourced from the continent’s cooler regions.
While Tannat accounts for more than a quarter of plantings in Uruguay, Merlot at 615 hectares accounts for about 10%, the third most-planted (INAVI, 2023). Of the six Uruguayan Merlots tasted, the three Highly recommended wines all hail from Maldonado, where cool Atlantic breezes seem to work their magic on this variety.
Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores from the South American Merlot panel…
Source : https://www.decanter.com.master.public.keystone-prod-eks-euw1.futureplc.engineering/premium/south-american-merlot-panel-tasting-results-537445/
