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Having been ridiculed (unfairly, in our opinion) in the movie, "Sideways," Merlot sometimes gets a bad rap as a beginner wine. We respectfully disagree. The Merlot grape, like many, can make fine wines for daily drinking as well as the best Merlots, sought out by collectors for their fine pedigree. Many of today's best-selling red blends contain Merlot as their backbone and some of the highest priced wines in the world (Château Pétrus in Bordeaux, for example) also use Merlot.
Merlot is versatile, which is why you'll find it planted in both warmer and cooler climates around the world. Besides Bordeaux, Merlot is also produced in the US, Australia, Chile, and elsewhere.
So here is an ode to Merlot. We know you well, and though we do not always sing your praises, we must give you your due as one of the greats.
VN9191 pts. - Vinous - Feb 2022 The 2019 Poitevin has a perfumed, floral bouquet with more red fruit than I observed from barrel, showing fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, very cohesive and harmonious. There’s just a touch of graphite on the finish. Stylish, top-notch Poitevin. (Neal Martin)RP9090 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 31st Oct 2022 The 2019 Poitevin is performing better than it did when I tasted it earlier this year, when I suspect it was still shut down after bottling. Opening in the glass with attractive aromas of orange zest, sweet red berries, petals and spices, it’s medium-bodied, lively and elegant, with lovely purity of fruit and nicely integrated structure. (William Kelley)JS8989 pts. - JamesSuckling.com - Sunday, February 20, 2022 Ripe blackberries, crushed raspberries, dried thyme and mocha on the nose. Medium body with lightly chewy tannins. Firm and compact with savory tea-leaf character. Drink from 2023.Premier SelectPremier Select wines are handpicked by our staff from amongst thousands of wines for their exceptional quality. They're made by a top producer and comparable to wines at twice the cost.
JS9696 pts. - JamesSuckling.com - Tuesday, June 22, 2021 Aromas of blackberry, plum, cocoa, iodine, clove and graphite. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, silky tannins. Tightly wound and mineral at the moment, with dusty gravel and graphite notes, yet with focus and precision. Such balance and harmony for the vintage. Try from 2025.JD9595 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 3/11/2021 The top wine, the 2018 Château D’Issan is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot that spent 18 months in 50% new French oak. It offers a beautiful, singular bouquet of blackcurrants, new leather, smoked tobacco, scorched earth, and camphor. This carries to a medium to full-bodied, seamless Margaux with wonderful tannins, beautifully integrated acidity, and just a flawlessly balanced, elegant, layered style that’s going to evolve for 20–25 years. It’s one classy 2018 that has loads to love. (Jeb Dunnuck)RP94+94–96 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 23rd Apr 2019 The 2018 D’Issan is composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, aging in 50% new and 50% second year barrels for an estimated 18 months. With 13.97% alcohol and a deep garnet-purple color, it features baked berries, warm cherries and cassis with spice box and fragrant earth plus tea hints. Medium to full-bodied, it has a great core of muscular fruit with firm, fine-grained tannins, with nice freshness, finishing layered with mineral notions.VN9494 pts. - Vinous - Mar 2021 The 2018 d’Issan is a potent, backward wine that is going to need a number of years to come into its own. Dark and brooding, with serious intensity, the 2018 shows off real depth in its blue/purplish fruit, chocolate, spice, smoke and leather flavors. The tannins are imposing today, but, then again, everything about the 2018 feels large in scale. I can’t wait to see how the 2018 ages.
VN9090 pts. - Vinous - Feb 2022 The 2019 La Tour de Mons spans two terms of ownership. It was sold in February 2020 to the Perroudot family (owners of Labégorce and Marquis d’Alesme), so the current team finished the aging. The 2019 has an expressive bouquet of lively blackberry and raspberry fruit, some attractive orange pith scents coming through with time. The palate is well balanced with fleshy ripe red fruit, white pepper and graphite. Nicely balanced and gentle, leading to a precise, quite Pauillac-like finish. Lovely.JD9090 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 4/11/2022 The 2019 Château La Tour De Mons is solid, with medium-bodied aromas and flavors of savory red fruits, leather, dried herbs, and chalky minerality. Balanced, with building tannins and outstanding length, it’s going to drink well for 15 years. (Jeb Dunnuck)
VN9494 pts. - Vinous - Feb 2022 The 2019 Labégorce was the first vintage vinified in the new cellar and also the first to use Cabernet Franc from the north part of the appellation, on more limestone soils, a massal selection from an organic producer in the south of France. Matured in 40% new oak, this has a voluminous, multifaceted bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit, cedar and perhaps more rose petal than violet at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, very well balanced, and a little spicier than I found from barrel, leading to a detailed, tensile finish. (Neal Martin)JD9494 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 4/11/2022 Gorgeous notes of red, blue, and black fruits as well as sandalwood, tobacco leaf, chocolate, and spicy notes emerge from the 2019 Château Labégorce, one of the richer, more opulent, and straight-up sexy wines in the vintage. A blend of 46% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, all raised in 40% new oak, it’s medium to full-bodied, has beautifully integrated oak, a stacked mid-palate, and one heck of a great finish. Drink this rich, sensationally textured Margaux any time over the coming two decades. It’s unquestionably in the same league as the 2015, 2016, and 2018. (Jeb Dunnuck)
RP100100 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 31st Mar 2021 The 2018 Château Margaux is composed of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, representing 36% of the crop this year. The wine has a pH of 3.8 and 14% alcohol. Deep purple-black in color, it slowly unfurls to reveal tantalizing scents of crème de cassis, wild blueberries and Black Forest cake with hints of redcurrant jelly, rose oil, dark chocolate and cedar chest plus a touch of star anise. The medium to full-bodied palate bursts with opulent black fruit, fragrant earth and floral layers, supported by a rock-solid structure of exquisitely ripe, finely grained tannins and seamless backbone of freshness, finishing with fantastic length. This is classic Margaux at its most seductive, although it is, rather amazingly, approachable and absolutely delicious right now. But, to enjoy its full glory, you will want to cellar it for at least 6–8 years and then watch it metamorphize over the next 40+ years.JD100100 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 3/11/2021 Based on 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% each of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2018 Château Margaux is a magical, incredibly sexy expression of this Château that sports a dense purple color as well as a thrilling bouquet of blueberries, cassis, acacia flowers, scorched earth, sandalwood, and violets. Incredibly concentrated and full-bodied on the palate, it nevertheless has an almost Burgundian sense of finesse and elegance, with an ethereal texture, silky yet massive amounts of tannins, notable freshness, and brilliant length. The alcohol hit a whopping 14%, which is high by this estate’s standards, but everything is flawlessly integrated, the balance is perfect, and I certainly can’t find anything that could be better. This 2018 is going to be relatively drinkable at an early age (do your best to hide bottles for 7–8 years) yet last for 75+. (Jeb Dunnuck)JS100100 pts. - JamesSuckling.com - Sunday, November 28, 2021 So much ash, tobacco and earth to the bright blackberry and currant aromas. Flowers too. Fresh. Full-bodied with seamless tannins that spread across your palate and caress every square centimeter. It’s shows loads of ripe-berry, cherry, currant and chocolate character, as well as walnut and light cedar. Then the finish goes on for minutes. Extremely refined and elegant, despite the structure. 90% cabernet sauvignon, 4% cabernet franc, 4% merlot and 2% petit verdot. A joy to taste, but drink after 2025.VN98+98+ pts. - Vinous - Mar 2021 The 2018 Margaux is an infant. Today, the tannins are unusually searing, but then again, the 2018 is a wine in which all the elements are dialed up to the maximum. Time in the glass releases the fruit, revealing a luxurious, opulent Château Margaux built for the cellar. Cedar, tobacco, dried flowers and mint develop with a bit of coaxing. Rich, deep and utterly beguiling, the 2018 is a dramatic wine that will thrill readers lucky enough to own it.SP9898 pts. - Wine Spectator - Mar 31, 2021 This struts along with supreme confidence, as a cashmere-textured structure effortlessly carries a prodigious set of warmed cassis, plum reduction and blackberry compote flavors, pulling in alder, bergamot, black and red tea and iron notes. Still manages to come across as restrained in the end. A beautiful wine. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2028 through 2040. 10,833 cases made.WE9898 pts. - Wine Enthusiast - 5/1/2021 While this wine reflects the richness and density of the vintage, it also shows all the elegance of which a great Margaux is capable. The wine is powerful and beautifully structured, both ripe and restrained. It will age magnificently. Start to think about drinking from 2028.
JS9797 pts. - JamesSuckling.com - Wednesday, March 3, 2021 A seductive Margaux with an intense nose of black fruit and red plums. Some herb and wood notes, too. It’s full-bodied with pretty, pure-berry flavors with some crushed stones and cement. The texture is silky and fine-grained and the tannins melt into the wine. Precise, flavorful finish with length. Try after 2024.RP9595 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 31st Mar 2021 The medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Malescot St. Exupery leaps from the glass with expressive scents of baked blackberries, Morello cherries and boysenberries with hints of blackcurrant cordial, dark chocolate, licorice and tilled soil. The medium to full-bodied palate has impressive intensity without heaviness, delivering mouth-coating black fruits and a firm, grainy texture, finishing with a refreshing earthy lift.VN9595 pts. - Vinous - Mar 2021 The 2018 Malescot Saint Exupéry is every bit as compelling as it was from barrel. Powerful and incisive, the 2018 is a driving, potent Margaux that dazzles from the first taste. Iron, smoke, new leather, licorice, pressed rose petal and cedar all open in the glass, conveying tremendous nuance and a ton of character.SP9595 pts. - Wine Spectator - Mar 31, 2021 Lovely, with gently mulled plum, blackberry and black currant fruit sailing through atop a velvety structure while mouthwatering bay, black tea and iron notes flow underneath. Seductive, detailed finish lets a sanguine note echo longest. Gorgeous wine. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2036. 9,183 cases made.JD9595 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 3/1/2021 I loved the 2018 Château Malescot Saint Exupéry from barrel two years ago, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint from bottle today. Based on 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this deeply hued beauty boasts smoking good notes of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, chocolate, and spice. Full-bodied and impressively concentrated, it has a stacked mid-palate, ripe, sweet yet certainly present tannins, a terrific sense of freshness, and a great finish. It’s going to fun comparing this and the 2016 over the coming two decades! While there’s some up-front accessibility and charm here, it really needs 4–6 years of bottle age and is going to have 20–25 years of overall longevity. This is gem of a wine that’s well worth seeking out. (Jeb Dunnuck)WE9393 pts. - Wine Enthusiast - 5/1/2021 This is a fruity and structured wine. With its dusty tannins and promising firm core, it has the texture for aging. Fruitiness gives it the potential to mature into a poised and sophisticated wine. Drink from 2026.
RP95+95–97 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 20th May 2021 Sporting a deep purple-black color, the 2020 Malescot St. Exupery prances out of the glass with showy scents of ripe black and red currants, black cherries, raspberry leaves and ground cloves, plus wafts of lilacs and tilled soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-coating black and red fruit layers with a firm, grainy texture and well-balanced acidity, finishing on a lingering fragrant-earth note. (Lisa Perrotti-Brown)VN9595 pts. - Vinous - Feb 2023 The 2020 Malescot Saint Exupéry is absolutely gorgeous. Deep and silky (that is not a typo) Malescot shows a level of finesse that is truly remarkable. There is still plenty of textural intensity, but also greater elegance than in the recent past. Succulent dark cherry, plum, licorice, incense and blood orange all run through this wonderfully sumptuous, expressive Margaux. Give this a few years in bottle. Superb. (Antonio Galloni)
RP100100 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 30th Apr 2003 Bottled in late November, 2002, the 2000 has turned out to be a colossal example of Chateau Margaux that is tasting even better from bottle than it was from cask. Only 40% of the crop made it into this 2000 Margaux, a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot. The 2000 possesses a saturated ruby/purple color to the rim as well as an extraordinarily promising nose of creme de cassis intermixed with white flowers, licorice, and hints of espresso and toasty oak. There is great intensity, compelling purity, a multi-layered, full-bodied palate, and a finish that goes on for nearly 70+ seconds. Bottled naturally, with no filtration, it is a monumental example of the elegance and power that symbolize this extraordinary vineyard. A tour de force in winemaking, many of my colleagues predicted, far earlier than me, that it would be the “wine of the vintage.” It is certainly one of the wines of the vintage, but there is plenty of competition, even at this lofty level of quality. Absolutely awesome! Anticipated maturity: 2012–2050.WE100100 pts. - Wine Enthusiast - 12/1/2003 If a wine can ever be perfect, this is as perfect as a wine can get. Right from the beginning this was the wine of the vintage, and nothing has changed. Margaux was the last of the first growths to be bottled because it just needed that extra time in barrel. The wine now has huge, intense black cherry and blackberry fruits, and marvelous tannins that are sweet and powerful. To finish, the magnificent Margaux perfume of sandalwood and ripe fruit dominates, leaving an impression of finesse and power.ST9898 pts. - Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar - May/Jun 2003 Penetrating, highly perfumed aromas of sappy dark berries, violet and minerals; seems less oaky today than the ’01. Offers compelling mouthfilling concentration and perfume. A wine of great power and consistency, with a pungent minerality lingering on the palate-staining finish. This somehow doesn’t flag or grow narrower even after one swallows or sips. Makes the 2002 seem almost dry in comparison. Wine-of-the-vintage material.WS9898 pts. - Wine & Spirits - December 1, 2003 Paul Pontallier happened upon the 2000 vintage at Margaux, having prepared the vines since 1983, and having gained a certain level of intimacy with their produce over the years. He doesn’t take credit for the particular balance of water retention in the soils at Margaux, for the light rains that refreshed the vines in August, though he can take some credit for knowing how to manage those vines and when to pick them. For without his history at the château, the 2000 vintage might have been merely great. But there’s something of his spirits in this wine, along with the essence of the Margaux vineyard, the glint of the soil and the grandeur of the building, which taken together will stop you in your tracks.SP95+95–100 pts. - Wine Spectator - Jun 30, 2001 [Barrel tasting] Black ruby in color, with violet and raspberry aromas and hints of currant and spices. Super, full-bodied, with thick, polished tannins. Should be chewy, and it is. But it remains fine and classy. Another 1995? I can’t give more than 100 points.
RP9999 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 22nd Dec 2011 A brilliant offering from the Mentzelopoulos family, once again their gifted manager, Paul Pontallier, has produced an uncommonly concentrated, powerful 2009 Chateau Margaux made from 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest primarily Merlot with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. As with most Medocs, the alcohol here is actually lower (a modest 13.3%) than most of its siblings-. Abundant blueberry, cassis and acacia flower as well as hints of charcoal and forest floor aromas that are almost Burgundian in their complexity are followed by a wine displaying sweet, well-integrated tannins as well as a certain ethereal lightness despite the wine’s overall size. Rich, round, generous and unusually approachable for such a young Margaux, this 2009 should drink well for 30–35+ years.
RP9999 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 27th Feb 2013 The 2010 is a brilliant Chateau Margaux, as one might expect in this vintage. The percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the final blend hit 90%, the balance Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and only 38% of the crop made it into the Chateau Margaux. Paul Pontallier, the administrator, told me that this wine has even higher levels of tannin than some other extraordinary vintages such as 2005, 2000, 1996, etc. Deep purple, pure and intense, with floral notes, tremendous opulence and palate presence, this is a wine of considerable nobility. With loads of blueberry, black currant and violet-infused fruit and a heady alcohol level above 13.5% (although that looks modest compared to several other first growths, particularly Chateau Latour and Chateau Haut-Brion), its beautifully sweet texture, ripe tannin, abundant depth and profound finish all make for another near-perfect wine that should age effortlessly for 30–40 years.SP9898 pts. - Wine Spectator - Mar 31, 2013 A mouthwatering tobacco leaf note leads the way, quickly followed by steeped black currant and fig fruit, with dark tar and ganache on the back end. Roasted alder and juniper hints hang in the background. Extremely backward, with a firm, tannic structure, this is girded for the long haul. Judging from the finely beaded acidity and lilting echo of lilac that peeks in now, this should acquire sensational aromatics and incredible grace with age. Best from 2018 through 2040. 10,833 cases made.WE9898 pts. - Wine Enthusiast - 5/1/2013 A great wine that is just starting out. The high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend gives the structured, black currant character. Dark chocolate and layers of wood are forward, revealing how young the wine is. And then the fruit, so rich and powerful, brings deliciousness to the firm, dense structure. Age for many years.
JS98+98–99 pts. - JamesSuckling.com - Tuesday, April 4, 2017 A purity of fruit marks this Margaux with lots of currant and berry character. Full body, bright acidity and round tannins. It’s a larger and more expanded style of Margaux. A wine with a heart and body. Strong.RP97+97–99 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 28th Apr 2017 The 2016 Chateau Margaux is a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, plus 1% of Petit Verdot, representing 28% of the total production. This is the highest proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon apart from 2013, which was due to the poor Merlot. It was cropped around 50 hectoliters per hectare depending on the grape variety, for example it could be up to 65 hectoliters per hectare in some sectors. Lucid in color, it has a detailed and precise bouquet with mineral-rich blackberry, raspberry coulis and limestone scents. It feels very perfumed, though not powerful like many Grand Vins in 2016. The palate is a different creature to the aromatics. Here is the intensity of the vintage with shimmering black fruit laced with spice, a killer line of acidity and an irresistible crescendo on the finish. Then, graphite lingering on the aftertaste, a nod to Pauillac perhaps. The aftertaste is so long you could probably write a letter to your friend enthusing about this wine before the aftertaste fades. Doubtless it is destined to be compared to the magnificent 2015 Château Margaux and to be truthful, there’s a hair’s breadth between them. In a word: crystalline.VN97+97–100 pts. - Vinous - Apr 2017 The 2016 Margaux is magnificent in the best tradition of the Château Margaux style, which always speaks more to finesse than power. Above all else, the 2016 is a wine of superb persistence, understated power and total refinement. There is wonderful depth and intensity to the ripe red and purplish-hued fruits, accompanied by mint, rose petal and sweet spice overtones that develop in the glass. The 2016 finishes with great aromatic lift and freshness. It has been absolutely compelling on the two occasions I have tasted it so far.WE97+97–99 pts. - Wine Enthusiast - 6/1/2017 This Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine is packed with firm tannins and a dark, dense structure. It is seriously concentrated and powerful in its impression. Magnificent fruit contrasts with the structure to suggest a wine ready for long-term aging.
RP9898 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 16th Mar 2020 The 2017 Chateau Margaux is a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a little coaxing to reveal alluring notes of blackcurrant cordial, Black Forest cake and black raspberries with suggestions of candied violets, tilled soil, fallen leaves, licorice and espresso plus wafts of underbrush and rosehip tea. Medium-bodied, the elegance and finesse on the palate is simply bedazzling, exuding a quiet intensity of fresh black fruits layered with oh-so-subtle floral and earth nuances. It has a soft, velvety texture and seamless freshness to support the tightly wound flavors, finishing long and perfumed. Beautiful! This grand vin accounts for just 37% of the crop.JD9898 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - February 26, 2020 Despite Margaux being a slightly more difficult region for the Medoc in 2017, this estate has fashioned an incredible 2017 Chateaux Margaux that’s unquestionably in the same league as the 2015 and 2016, and that’s saying something. Based on 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot representing a draconian selection of just 22% of the total production, it reveals a deep purple/ruby hue as well as stunning notes of creme de cassis, blueberries, crushed violets, unsmoked tobacco, and Asian spice. With flawless tannins, medium to full body, brilliant concentration, and a great, great finish, it’s easily one of the standouts in the vintage. It’s already stunning, yet a good 7–8 years of bottle age are warranted, and it should cruise for 20–25 years in cold cellars. (Jeb Dunnuck)VN9797 pts. - Vinous - Mar 2020 One of the clear highlights on the Left Bank, the 2017 Margaux is magnificent. Soaring in intensity, the 2017 exudes class from the very first taste. Margaux is so often a wine of charm and seduction, but the 2017 is anything but that. Instead, Margaux is dark, somber and mysterious, with layers of sepia-toned nuance that opens up with time in the glass. Cabernet Sauvignon, picked 5 days later than first anticipated, is especially prominent. The 2017 is going to need a number of years to be at its very best, but it is a super-promising wine. Wow.SP9595 pts. - Wine Spectator - Mar 31, 2020 Seamless from start to finish, with a thoroughly caressing mouthfeel to the mix of damson plum, black cherry and black currant fruit, inlaid with a range of lilac, lavender and rooibos tea accents. The finish unfurls slowly, revealing a mouthwatering mineral edge buried deeply in the seductive fruit. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2024 through 2038. 10,833 cases made.
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Château Poitevin Médoc
Château d’Issan Margaux
Château La Tour de Mons Margaux
Château Labégorce Margaux
