Merlot
Merlot
Stag’s Hollow 2022 Renaissance Merlot
Canadian Red
Plump red cherry and plum appear with candied violet, cedar and cocoa nibs. The palate is polished and glycerious, with fresh acidity. The blend is ninety-four point nine percent Merlot, five percent Cabernet Sauvignon and zero point one percent Cabernet Franc. Its fruit comes from the gravel soils of a southwest-facing vineyard in Okanagan Falls, where small clusters and berries naturally limit yields.
Echo Bay 2022 Synoptic Red Blend
Canadian Red
Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Carménère and Petit Verdot make up the red blend. The grapes are organically grown and ferment with wild yeast. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered after sixteen months in French oak, fifteen percent new. Its fruit comes from Okanagan Falls in British Columbia, and the finished wine contains fourteen percent alcohol.
Château Peyredon Lagravette 2022 Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois
French Red
Ruby-purple colour accompanies blackberry, spice and toast. The finish is balanced, with smooth tannins. The blend is sixty-three percent Cabernet Sauvignon and thirty-seven percent Merlot from Gunz gravel soils. Grapes are picked by hand and receive five weeks of skin maceration. Maturation lasts twelve months, with one-third in amphora and the balance in new and used oak.
Cuvelier Los Andes 2008 Colección
Argentinian Red
Blackberry, fruitcake and liquorice appear in a dense, smooth profile with concentrated black fruit, firm structure, acidity, substantial tannins and grip. The blend is sixty percent Malbec, fifteen percent Merlot, fifteen percent Cabernet Sauvignon, five percent Syrah and five percent Petit Verdot. Fermentation lasts seven to ten days in stainless steel, with twenty to thirty days of maceration, full malolactic fermentation and twelve months in French oak.
Château Domeyne 2018 Saint-Estèphe
French Red
Deep colour accompanies red and black fruit, spice, a creamy texture and velvety tannins. The vineyard is planted to sixty percent Merlot and forty percent Cabernet Sauvignon on deep gravel and tertiary clay over a limestone terrace. Grapes are harvested by hand and rigorously sorted. Temperature-controlled vinification is followed by barrel maturation using thirty percent new oak, and the wine has a fresh, full-bodied profile with plum and liquorice.
Rocca di Frassinello 2020 Le Sughere di Frassinello Maremma Toscana DOC
Italian Red
Cherry, blackberry, eucalyptus, rosemary, menthol and mineral notes are present. The palate is fresh and soft, with round tannins and a long finish. The blend is fifty percent Sangioveto, twenty-five percent Cabernet Sauvignon and twenty-five percent Merlot. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel. Maturation uses fifty percent new barriques for eighteen months, followed by nine months in bottle.
Château Lafleur du Roy 2019 Pomerol
French Red
Merlot forms eighty-five percent of the blend, with ten percent Cabernet Franc and five percent Cabernet Sauvignon. Red berries, raspberry, cassis, truffle, liquorice, sweet spice, vanilla, nutmeg, tobacco, cocoa, black cherry and mineral notes are present. The texture is velvety and the tannins are melted. Hand-harvested fruit ferments in temperature-controlled stainless steel before fifteen to eighteen months in French oak, one-third new.
Château d’Orignac Pineau des Charentes NV
French Fortified
Apricot, yellow fruit, honey, raisins, spice, flowers and orange shape the profile, with a sweet yet refreshing palate. The blend is sixty percent Merlot and forty percent Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine matures for at least five years in 225-litre French oak barrels. Golden and amber tones are present, and alcohol is eighteen percent. The grapes come from Fins Bois.
Château Laffitte Carcasset 2016 Saint-Estèphe
French Red
Black fruit, red plum and cedar appear with a woody texture. The tannins are pleasant, and the wine has concentration and harmony. Its ruby colour, delicate fruit and toast sit with a structured palate that is not aggressive. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc form the blend. The Saint-Estèphe red spends twelve months in oak barrels.
Château Ormes de Pez 2019 Saint-Estèphe
French Red
Purplish garnet colour accompanies fresh blackberry and blackcurrant. The texture is velvety, with well-rounded tannins and toasted notes from barrel maturation. The blend is fifty percent Merlot, forty percent Cabernet Sauvignon, seven percent Cabernet Franc and three percent Petit Verdot. Fruit was hand picked and sorted in the vineyard. Maturation lasted sixteen months in French oak, including forty-five percent new wood.
Rosie Giovese 2021 Vino Rosato 3 L Bag-in-Box
Italian Rosé
Fresh strawberry and nectarine skin appear in a crisp, pale-pink profile. Sangiovese accounts for sixty percent of the blend, Merlot thirty percent and Lacrima ten percent. The style is bone-dry yet fruity, and alcohol is twelve and a half percent. Lacrima is identified as a grape native to Le Marche, where this still rosé is made.
Fossacolle 2021 Riesci Rosso di Toscana IGT
Italian Red
Ripe, intense fruit accompanies broad structure and velvety tannins. The blend is forty percent Merlot, thirty percent Cabernet Sauvignon and thirty percent Petit Verdot. Fermentation and maceration take place in stainless steel and cement for fourteen days. Maturation lasts twelve months, with eighty percent in new barriques and twenty percent in second-use barrels. Alcohol is fourteen and a half percent, and production totals four thousand bottles.
Poggio al Tesoro 2021 Il Seggio Bolgheri Rosso
Italian Red
Fresh, crisp fruit, mineral and spice notes accompany red berries in a medium-bodied profile with silky, enveloping tannins and a clean, lively finish. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot are fermented separately in temperature-controlled stainless steel. Maturation lasts fifteen months in French oak barriques, thirty percent new, followed by at least six months in bottle.
Olivier Rivière 2022 Les Jardins d’Édina Côtes de Bourg
French Red
Fresh cherry and raspberry notes sit above a delicate texture, with acidity and gentle sweetness in balance. The Merlot comes from vines more than twenty-five years old on silty soils with clay, gravel and clay-limestone around Bourg and Lansac. Grapes are hand harvested, destemmed and macerated for three weeks, with indigenous fermentation in concrete. Maturation combines concrete and 300-litre barrels.
La Chapelle de Potensac 2018 Médoc
French Red
Blackcurrant, redcurrant, green tobacco, cedar and spring flowers form the aromatic profile. The palate is medium-bodied, supple and harmonious, with light tannins, a round, balanced texture and a fresh finish. The blend is seventy percent Merlot, twenty-five percent Cabernet Sauvignon and five percent Cabernet Franc. Raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, liquorice, nutmeg and dried almond provide further detail.
Château Cap Léon Veyrin 2010 Listrac-Médoc
French Red
Garnet colour accompanies an intense bouquet that combines black fruit with forest-floor aromas. On the palate, roundness and generosity sit alongside a consistent structure supported by firm yet silky tannins. Merlot forms sixty-two percent of the blend, followed by thirty-five percent Cabernet Sauvignon and three percent Petit Verdot. The wine was aged in cask, and seventy thousand bottles were produced.
Trefethen 2021 Eshcol Red Oak Knoll District
American Red
Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for fifty-one percent of the blend, with Malbec at twenty-three percent, Merlot and Petit Verdot at twelve percent each, and Cabernet Franc at two percent. Raspberry and Bing cherry appear with leather and liquorice. Dark fruit and black pepper are also present. The finish is balanced and smooth. Fruit comes entirely from the Main Ranch estate vineyard, and maturation lasts fourteen months.
Domaine Elian Da Ros 2021 Chante-Coucou Côtes du Marmandais
French Red
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Syrah are vinified separately in open concrete vats with gentle extraction. Dark colour accompanies preserved black fruit, blueberry, ripe blackberry, cassis and prune. Peony and dried chrysanthemum appear with resinous, balsamic notes recalling pine and cypress. Ripe tomato, pink pepper and Espelette pepper are also present. The vines grow in clay-gravel soils over grey marl molasse, and the vineyard is farmed biodynamically.
Phantom Creek Estates 2020 Becker Vineyard Cuvée
Canadian Red
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc form the blend. Kirsch, plum and spiced blackberry appear with dried sage, dark chocolate, cedar and oak. The profile is full-bodied and balanced, with fruit weight and a long finish. The historic vineyard lies on the Black Sage Bench. Higher spring rainfall and mild temperatures were followed by hot, dry conditions through harvest. Smaller berries contributed concentrated flavours and elevated tannins.
Hillside Winery 2017 Mosaic Naramata Bench
Canadian Red
The blend is thirty-three percent Merlot, twenty-five percent Cabernet Franc, eighteen percent Malbec, seventeen percent Cabernet Sauvignon and seven percent Petit Verdot. It matures for eighteen months in French oak, forty-two percent new. The tannins are mostly dispersed, leaving a silky, dry texture. The fruit comes from vineyards on Naramata Bench in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley.
Chateau Lynch-Bages 2020 Pauillac
French Red
The blend is sixty percent Cabernet Sauvignon, thirty-one percent Merlot, five percent Petit Verdot and four percent Cabernet Franc. Grapes are picked and sorted by hand. Maturation lasts eighteen months in French oak, seventy-five percent new. Sun-ripened fruit appears with freshness, good acidity and ripe, powerful tannins. The vineyards lie on Garonne gravel, and the wine contains thirteen point four one percent alcohol.
Piaggia 2017 Carmignano Riserva DOCG
Italian Red
Raspberry and strawberry appear with dark ruby and garnet colour. The palate is dense, with a melting texture and a long finish. Sangiovese is joined by Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The fruit comes from an old vineyard at Piaggia, about 250 metres above sea level, with southwest exposure and clay and galestro soils. Grapes are harvested by hand and selected in small boxes. Fermentation is spontaneous, and skin maceration lasts eighteen to twenty-eight days.
Black Hills 2022 Nota Bene Okanagan Valley
Canadian Red
Dewberry, black cherry, herbal notes and floral lift are joined by redcurrant, sweet mint and raspberry blossom. The palate is rich and fresh, with fine-grained tannins. The blend is forty-six percent Merlot, thirty-six percent Cabernet Sauvignon and eighteen percent Cabernet Franc. Wild yeasts conduct fermentation, and ageing lasts eighteen months in French-oak barriques and puncheons, forty-seven percent new. Alcohol is fourteen and a half percent.
Concha y Toro 2019 Gravas del Maipo Cabernet Sauvignon Puente Alto
Chilean Red
Deep red colour is accompanied by fresh red-fruit and spice aromas. The palate has intensity and depth, with fine, velvety tannins. The blend is eighty-six percent Cabernet Sauvignon, ten percent Cabernet Franc and four percent Merlot. Grapes come from the Puente Alto Vineyard at 650 metres, where soils are rocky, alluvial, deep and poor in nutrients. Fermentation lasts eight days in stainless steel, followed by ten days of post-fermentation maceration and fourteen months in French oak.
Manvi 2020 Happiness Toscana Rosso IGT
Italian Red
Dark fruit, ripe black cherry, plum and cassis are joined by vanilla, baking spice and cedar. The palate is full-bodied and velvety, with bright acidity, integrated tannins, dark chocolate, earth and a long finish. Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot make up the blend. The wine is aged for three to four years in oak and bottle, and production is limited to no more than one thousand bottles per vintage.
Cakebread Cellars 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
American Red
Fresh smoky cassis, blackberry and boysenberry appear with cedar, black-tea spice and sweet oak. The palate is concentrated, with black fruit, firm structure and a long savoury finish. The blend is seventy-eight percent Cabernet Sauvignon, sixteen percent Merlot, four percent Cabernet Franc and two percent Malbec. Fermentation took place in stainless steel, followed by twenty months in French oak, thirty-five percent new. Alcohol is 14.2 percent.
Nittardi 2020 Ad Astra Maremma Toscana Rosso DOC 1.5 L
Italian Red
Plum and red-berry aromas are joined by liquorice. The blend combines Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel, followed by twelve months in French-oak barriques and tonneaux and several months in concrete. The vineyards lie at Mongibello delle Mandorlaie in southern Maremma, on predominantly sandy soils rich in limestone and clay.
CheckMate 2021 Silent Bishop Merlot
Canadian Red
Red currant, raspberry, coffee, tobacco and floral notes join black fruit, mocha and dark chocolate. The wine is fresh and lively, with fine-grained tannins and a lengthy finish. Merlot comes from the cooler western benches of the South Okanagan. Wild fermentation is followed by twenty months in French oak. The palate also carries black cherry, blackcurrant and balanced acidity.
Fairview Cellars 2011 The Bear Okanagan Valley
Canadian Red
Medium ruby-purple colour accompanies ripe cherry and liquorice. The wine is dry, with medium-plus acidity and full, ripe tannins. Cherry, plum, cassis, spice and tobacco appear, with a long finish. Cabernet Sauvignon leads the blend, joined by Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Mint, blackcurrant and spicy cherry are also present. Production totalled three hundred cases.
CedarCreek 2013 Platinum The Last Word
Canadian Red
Dark liquorice, black cherry, cooked plum and graphite appear across the profile. Cassis, wild blackberry, spice-box notes and anise are also present, with bright acidity, structurally sound tannins and a warm finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec were co-fermented for one month. The blend then spent twenty months in French oak. The fruit comes from Osoyoos in the Okanagan Valley.