Merlot can be boring – here are five bottles worth trying

Luckily for those birds, Merlot ripens easily and grows prolifically in fertile soils. That’s good news too for wineries keen to produce lots of fruity wine that is approachable without needing expensive oak-ageing to soften its tannins, and explains why this grape has travelled far and wide around the winemaking world. The downside is that abundant fruit on grape vines tends to produce simpler, less-interesting wines than the more concentrated and complex fruit borne from lower yields. Hence the many quaffable but forgettable expressions out there.

Merlot does offer great potential in the right conditions, however. Wineries can pursue quality over quantity by working with vineyards that deliver lower yields, either due to poorer soils or older age, or by limiting output through viticultural methods like pruning.

Merlot stars in Bordeaux’s best-loved wines. It’s been key to the success of the right-bank appellations of Saint Émilion and Pomerol in Libourne, thanks to its ability to ripen well this far northeast and inland from the moderating influence of the Atlantic. It is typically blended here with one of its parents, Cabernet Franc, whose smaller berries lend structure to the wines. (Astringent tannins are found in grape skin rather than flesh, so the greater proportion of skin to flesh, the more tannic the wine.)

Later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon is favoured in Bordeaux’s left-bank Médoc, especially in the Haut-Médoc where heat-retaining gravel aids ripening. Merlot plays a supporting but important role here too, fleshing out Cabernet’s harder edges with softer, sweeter fruit.

Today’s wine of the week is unusual then, as an unblended Merlot from the Haut-Médoc, and in being certified organic (difficult given Bordeuax’s damp, cool conditions). Also here is a blend from Château Vieux Potana, the second label from Château Béchereau, whose Bordeaux Supériere I previously recommended (€14, Dunnes). Finally, two bargain Bordeaux at different price points, and a cheeky Chilean Merlot for cheerful quaffing. ​

Wines of the week

Claire Lurton Ceres 2020, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France 12.5pc, €40 Pure Merlot from serious Cabernet Sauvignon country: ‘pure’ as in 100pc Merlot; from eight hectares of organic, biodynamic vineyards with limestone-rich soil, just west of St-Estephe; and unoaked, but aged in concrete eggs to showcase fruit and terroir. A side project from Pauillac’s Château Haut-Bages Liberal, and named after the Roman goddess of agriculture and fertility, Ceres expresses Merlot’s delicate side: rich and dense but with fine tannins, bright lemon-juice lift and fragrant joyous red fruit. Drinkstore, Searsons; searsons.com

Château Vieux Potana 2019, Montagne Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, France, 14.5pc, €20 An easy-drinking Merlot-Cabernet Franc blend with nuanced aromas of tea-soaked plums, pepper and floral lift. Cool September evenings after a hot summer brought freshness to ripe forest fruit​​​​. Fresh, Martins, Higgins, Whelehans, Deveney’s, Robbie’s, MacGuinness, Grape and Grain, wineoclock.ie

Guerra Del Vino Chilean Merlot, Valle Central, Chile, 13pc, €7.99 Cheap Merlot won’t usually top my recommendations but this limited-edition blend (with 10pc Syrah) from Chile drinks fresh with lifted aromas of violet-scented redcurrant and blackcurrant, darker fruits on the palate and smooth tannins for easy drinking solo or with wintry casseroles. Aldi

Château Haut-Cadet 2018, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, 13.5pc, €24.95 This charming Merlot-led blend frames bold, vibrant fruit in sweet oak spices with tea chest and cigar-box character. On the palate, those fruits are given an earthy twist with smooth tannins, a mineral edge and a dry, food-friendly finish. From €34.95 until the new year. O’Briens Wine; obrienswine.ie

Château de Nivelle 2015, Bordeaux, France, 13pc, €13.95 Solid stuff from a fourth-generation, family-run winery in Entre-Deux-Mers with a strong focus on sustainability, this 100pc Merlot marries mature red fruit with well-knit oak character and a dry finish. A well-balanced, well-priced crowd-pleaser for a multigenerational meal. Mitchell & Son; mitchellandson.com