Merlot: Your Guide to the Right Bank''s Star Grape

Merlot is a red grape variety that plays a pivotal role in many of the world's most collected wines. Many of those come from Bordeaux, France. For your cellar, understanding Merlot means appreciating its capacity for fruit concentration and softer tannins. It also means appreciating its potential for long-lived wines, especially from the Right Bank. It is the second-most planted red grape in Bordeaux, making up 62% of the red grape area. It dominates blends in appellations like Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. Top-quality châteaux on the Right Bank typically feature blends of 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. Oz Clarke and Margaret Rand report those proportions in Grapes and Wines: Encyclopedia of Grapes. This grape's adaptability to various terroir and its characteristic profile make it a cornerstone of fine wine production globally.

What is Merlot and where does it originate?

Merlot is a red grape variety that originates from France of grape varieties." Its pedigree suggests a potential parent is Magdeleine Noire des Charentes. That vine is also the mother of Cot, another red grape variety. Its exact introduction year is not specified. It counts as a Vitis vinifera grape, a species that includes most of the world's common wine grapes.

Where is Merlot most widely planted?

Merlot is one of the most extensively cultivated red grape varieties globally. In 2004, Merlot covered 260,000 hectares worldwide of grape varieties." Its stronghold is in Bordeaux, France. There it accounts for 62% of the red grape vineyard area.

In Bordeaux, Merlot tends to predominate in the Right Bank appellations, such as Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. Top-quality châteaux in these areas typically craft blends that are 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. Oz Clarke and Margaret Rand note this in Grapes and Wines: Encyclopedia of Grapes. In contrast, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux's second-most planted grape variety, dominates the blends in the Médoc and other Left Bank areas. Beyond France, Merlot is also a significant grape in other wine-producing countries. For instance, the United States had 1,400 hectares of Cabernet Franc, and New Zealand 210 hectares. South Africa had 1,000 hectares, Chile 1,180 hectares, and Argentina 300 hectares of grape varieties." The grape's widespread cultivation reflects its versatility and popularity among winemakers and consumers.

How does Merlot contribute to Bordeaux wine styles?

Merlot's characteristics are central to the diverse range of Bordeaux wine styles, particularly on the Right Bank. Wines where Merlot predominates, such as those from Saint-Émilion and Pomerol, often exhibit great fruit concentration and softer tannins. They are known for their longevity. These wines often need cellaring before drinking.

Merlot also plays a key role in the broader regional appellations:

• Red Bordeaux and Red Bordeaux Supérieur: Most of these châteaux sit on the Right Bank in the Entre-Deux-Mers area. Their wines are typically Merlot-dominant. Red Bordeaux AOC wines tend to be fruity with minimal oak influence, in a style meant for drinking young. Bordeaux Supérieur AOC wines come from the same area but must adhere to stricter controls, such as lower yields. They are often aged in oak.
• Red Côtes de Bordeaux: In these eight appellations, located in the hilly outskirts of the region, Merlot usually dominates the blend. These wines rank between basic red Bordeaux and the more famous Left and Right Bank appellations in style and quality. Prices for Côtes de Bordeaux wines tend to be moderate, as none of Bordeaux's stellar names sit here. In 2007, wines in this family took 14.7% of Bordeaux's vineyard surface.
• Red Libourne, or "Right Bank" wines: These 10 appellations around the city of Libourne produce wines heavily dominated by Merlot, with very little Cabernet Sauvignon. Saint-Émilion and Pomerol are the most famous examples.
• Red Graves and Médoc or "Left Bank" wines: Cabernet Sauvignon dominates these classic areas north and south of the city of Bordeaux. Merlot still contributes a significant portion to the blends. These wines are dense, tannic, and long-lived, and most are meant for cellaring.

The blending of different grape varieties, including Merlot, is an integral part of the Bordeaux winemaking process. It allows producers to craft wines in their preferred style, depending on vintage conditions. This blending tradition, alongside the region's diverse terroir, contributes to the unique character and investment potential of Bordeaux wines. You can track those wines on our live fine wine market index.

How is Merlot cultivated and made into wine?

The region's humid climate and traditional practices shape the cultivation and winemaking processes for Merlot in Bordeaux. Vignerons face challenges from a variety of pests due to the humidity. Vignerons have historically addressed that with widespread pesticide use. Natural methods are gaining popularity. Vines are generally trained in either single or double guyot. While prestigious châteaux often prefer hand-picking, machine-harvesting is common elsewhere.

After harvest, grapes are typically sorted and destemmed before crushing. Mechanical crushing is now almost universally used, replacing the traditional foot-crushing method. Chaptalization, the addition of sugar to must to increase alcohol content, remains permitted and fairly common. Fermentation usually occurs in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats.

Following fermentation, the must is pressed and transferred to barriques, typically 225-litre oak barrels. Aging commonly lasts a year. Blending is a crucial step, usually performed between pressing and bottling. Wines from different grape varieties and different parts of the vineyard are often aged separately and then blended. This allows winemakers to achieve their desired style or to create a main wine and a second wine. The wine is then bottled and often undergoes further aging before release. Understanding these processes can help you assess a wine's condition and potential, especially when considering wine ullage levels.

What are the key differences between Right Bank and Left Bank Bordeaux?

The Garonne and Dordogne rivers geographically define the Bordeaux region, merging to form the Gironde estuary. They create distinct "banks" with different soil compositions, grape preferences, and wine styles. These differences matter for understanding the character of Merlot-dominant wines from the Right Bank. Those contrast with Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant wines from the Left Bank.

Feature	Right Bank Bordeaux	Left Bank Bordeaux
Position	Right bank of the Dordogne, in the northern parts of the region, around the city of Libourne	Left bank of the Garonne, in the west and south of the region, around the city of Bordeaux
Dominant grape	Merlot, with very little Cabernet Sauvignon	Cabernet Sauvignon, often with a significant portion of Merlot
Typical top-quality blend	70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon	70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 15% Merlot
Best-known appellations	Saint-Émilion and Pomerol	Graves and Médoc, where the five First Growths sit
Style	Great fruit concentration, softer tannins, long-lived	Concentrated, tannic, long-lived, and mostly meant to be cellared before drinking

The blending tradition is shared across both banks. The proportions, the soils beneath them, and the resulting style are what separate the two.