Has Merlot's time come and gone?

Wines & Vines, Oct, 2003 by Tina Caputo

When I was in college, a boyfriend's well-to-do sister invited me to dinner at her house in Monterey. As a White Zinfandel aficionado, I was disappointed when she poured me a glass of red wine with dinner--despite the fact that I was underage and should have considered myself lucky to be getting any wine at all. I don't recall the brand of the wine (it was a Cabernet Sauvignon), but I do remember that it tasted horrible to me, and I felt like I would have to shave my tongue after taking a sip. I choked the stuff down, but I sure as hell didn't enjoy it.

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My first experience with Merlot was much more pleasant. Unlike the ultratannic Cab that nearly traumatized me into giving up on red wines forever, the Merlot was soft, fruity and oh-so-easy to drink. And so went the story for millions of Americans who embraced Merlot in the '80s and '90s, and made it the nation's most-consumed red varietal wine--a title it continues to hold today, according to Impact Databank statistics.

Of course there is a dark side to the Merlot success story. As its popularity grew, winegrowers began planting the stuff like crazy--often paying little attention to whether or not their vineyards were suited to the varietal--and Merlot acreage jumped from 5,000 acres to nearly 50,000 between 1990 and 2000. The result was a flood of flaccid, characterless Merlots that drove many wine lovers into the arms of up-and-coming varietals like Syrah.

After such a dizzying rise to stardom, is Merlot now destined to fade away into obscurity like some MacCauley Culkin of wine? Not if you look at the numbers--or if you talk to dedicated Merlot producers.

Holding Its Own In California

"I don't think Merlot's popularity is waning at this point in time," says Doug Shafer, president of Shafer Vineyards. "I think Merlot started becoming 'less hot' two or three years ago as consumers rediscovered Cabernets priced similarly to some Merlots with as much or more to offer flavor-wise. In addition, consumers were experimenting with and enjoying new varietals like Syrah. Merlot, though not as hot as it was a few years ago, remains very popular and is a strong seller for us."

Though Shafer says he doesn't believe in a "Merlot backlash," he attributes the decline in Merlot fever to the influx of mediocre Merlots into the marketplace. "The deal with Merlot grapes is this--Merlot is a tough grape to grow. You need a good site, soil- and climatewise, and Merlot tends to shatter more easily, which can lead to uneven ripening and green flavors. However, when Merlot is grown in the right places, from good fruit, the resulting wines are delicious." Shafer, who produces about 9,000 cases of Merlot (pick up a bottle if you have trouble remembering what a really good one is supposed to taste like), predicts a "bright future" for the varietal. "We were there before it became the new, hot varietal and we certainly aren't finished with it."

Mark Beringer, vice president and winemaker for Duckhorn Wine Company, agrees that "too many bad Merlots" have left a bad taste in people's mouths. But as one of California's pioneer Merlot producers, Duckhorn isn't about to dismiss the varietal. "I also think that Merlot's heritage is proven and it will always be one of the top five varieties. Let the fad chasers replant to Syrah and leave the Merlot making to us."

They're making a lot of Merlot at Duckhorn. Nearly half of the winery's 65,000 case annual production is devoted to the varietal, and Duckhorn's considerable reputation was built on these wines.

"We have 25 years of experience with Merlot and we recognize the level of effort it takes in order to produce a world-class Merlot wine," Beringer says. "I think that everything is cyclical in our industry. Popularity rises and falls with the public's changing tastes and buying patterns...We do not choose to be 'day traders' in our industry and spend our time chasing the next hot variety. I think that there will always be a place for great Merlot, just as there will be a place for any wine that is at the top of its category. We have a bit of a franchise in this category and we will continue to raise the bar on what great Merlot is for years to come."

That's just what winemaker Daniel Baron hopes to achieve at Twomey Cellars in the Napa Valley. His passion for Merlot convinced the owners of the venerable Silver Oak Cellars to add a top-notch Merlot to the Cabernet-only winery's lineup. The Duncan and Meyer families liked the idea so much they decided to launch a Merlot-only sister winery.

"In my opinion, there is always room in the marketplace for handcrafted, profound wines, no matter what the grape variety," Baron says. "While it would be naive to think that we won't feel some ripples from a loss of popularity of Merlot, I believe that if we achieve our goal of producing a profound wine with a unique style and personality, we will have a following. Our challenge, then, is to achieve that goal."

Still Hot In Washington

Though he acknowledges Syrah's rise in popularity, Marty Clubb, owner of L'Ecole No. 41 in Lowden, Wash., doesn't see it as a threat to Merlot sales. "There definitely is Syrah mania going on, just like there was for Merlot a handful of years ago," he says. "However, what goes around, comes around, and I personally think there will always be a strong market for quality Merlot. I also believe the 'mania' part of these popularity swings is somewhat driven by the wine media. Almost every wine writer is now focused on Syrah, just like a few years ago they were focused on Merlot. Is the popularity rising because of media attention, or is the media attention following the popularity shift? I think an analysis of sales figures would suggest the former."