One of the most well known international red grape varieties, ever fluctuating in popularity, Merlot is not to be underestimated.
It’s characterised by red fruits such as ripe plums, gentle spices, soft tannins and rounded, plush texture, expressing notes of mocha or chocolate with oak influence. The best examples have great ageing potential.
Merlot can produce noteworthy varietal wines and is a great blending partner. It’s a key variety in Bordeaux blends, working well with varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, but it’s soft, approachable character adds to blends with varieties far beyond the classics.
Finding its home in Bordeaux where it grows best on the Right Bank, Merlot has the capability of delivering wines with lovely expressions from around the world.
Scroll down to explore 15 top-scoring Merlots from DWWA 2024
Outside of France, it is famously grown in Italy, California and Chile where it can produce fruity, easy-drinking expressions, but when grown in higher altitudes or with attentive vine management, for example, more structured examples are to be found.
Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2024 saw a number of top-scoring Merlot-based wines awarded, including a Best in Show (97 points) from Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, for Château La Dominique, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé 2019. The judges described the wine as a splendid example of the pleasures that the Right Bank’s most extensive appellation can bring. Blended with just 13% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, it’s an outstanding example of the quality wines Merlot can produce. Château La Dominique also received a Platinum medal for its 2018 vintage
Another 97 points was awarded to Château Greysac 2021 from Bordeaux’s Médoc, which received a Platinum medal for its captivating array of blackcurrant, plum and black cherry fruit furnished with pencil shavings and graphite mineral notes.
Beyond France, top quality expressions of Merlot were rated by the experts from Italy and South Africa to less discovered wine regions such as Bulgaria and Slovenia.
To celebrate International Merlot Day, we highlight 15 top scoring Merlot and Merlot-dominant wines that are worth exploring. Search all winners from DWWA 2024 at awards.decanter.com
International Merlot Day: 15 award-winning wines to try
Bulgaria
Edoardo Miroglio Winery, Soli Invicto, Thracian Valley, Southern Region – Thracian Lowland 2019
Gold, 95 points
A powerhouse of spicy dark fruit, blue flowers and cocoa which intermingle nicely with lush vanilla oak. Structured and broad with engrossing tannins and attractive, youthful acidity. Alcohol 15%
France
Château La Dominique, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux 2019
Best in Show, 97 points
This is a splendid example of the pleasures that the Right Bank’s most extensive appellation can bring in the very fine 2019 vintage, one that combines depth and ripeness with freshness. And charm. One sniff of this dark, still-opaque black-red wine will have you in its thrall: look out for layers of sumptuous, plump bramble and plum fruits given high-definition focus and a tempered sweetness from the season. The palate is long, expansive and deeply satisfying, perfectly poised on the cusp between the sweet tones of youth and the more sober grandeur that comes with age. The tannins are ample but tender, and the acidity almost contrives to suggest (in combination with that fruit and those tannins) the acidity you will find in fine dark chocolate. Assured winemaking with what are clearly outstanding raw materials from a propitious site. Alc 15%
Château Greysac, Médoc, Bordeaux 2021
Platinum, 97 points
A captivating array of blackcurrant, plum and black cherry fruit furnished with pencil shavings and graphite mineral notes. Supremely concentrated with well-defined, elegant tannins and an elevated acidity. An incredible result in a difficult vintage. Alc 13.5%
Château La Dominique, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux 2018
Source : https://www.decanter.com.master.public.keystone-prod-eks-euw1.futureplc.engineering/decanter-world-wine-awards/international-merlot-day-15-award-winning-wines-to-try-515981/
