South American Merlot: Panel tasting results

Dror Nativ MW, Ben Gubbins and Andy Howard MW tasted 52 wines, with 4 Outstanding and 19 Highly Recommended.

South American Merlot: Panel tasting scores

52 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 4

Highly recommended 19

Recommended 25

Commended 3

Fair 1

Poor 0

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their current-release, still red wines labelled as single-varietal Merlot, from any recognised appellation in South America and consisting of a minimum 85% Merlot

Merlot rarely gets the limelight. This is particularly true of Merlot from South America, where signature regional varieties – Argentinian Malbec, Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère, Uruguayan Tannat – dominate. Merlot is often overlooked, or blended with other varieties.

However, this panel tasting of 52 wines demonstrated that Merlot has the capability to surprise and delight, particularly when sourced from the continent’s cooler regions.

While Tannat accounts for more than a quarter of plantings in Uruguay, Merlot at 615 hectares accounts for about 10%, the third most-planted (INAVI, 2023). Of the six Uruguayan Merlots tasted, the three Highly recommended wines all hail from Maldonado, where cool Atlantic breezes seem to work their magic on this variety.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores from the South American Merlot panel tasting

The powerhouse

Argentina may be known as a Malbec powerhouse, yet five of the 11 Argentinian Merlots tasted were rated 90-points or more. Two Outstanding wines emerged from the cool south of Patagonia.

Ben Gubbins noted that the Merlots from this region showed a distinct blue-fruit profile. Riccitelli Old Vines Merlot from the Patagonia sub-region of Río Negro stood out for its likeness to cool-climate Syrah, showing beautiful aromas of violets and crushed black pepper. The Otronia 45 Rugientes comes from Patagonia’s wild and windswept Chubut sub-region; its racy acidity and refined style breaks the Merlot mould.

Not unexpectedly, Chile dominated the tasting. At 10,651ha, Merlot is the third most-planted variety here (8.3% of plantings, according to SAG data for 2022), after Cabernet Sauvignon (28.8%) and Sauvignon Blanc (11.2%). The country fared well, with 43% of the 35 Chilean wines scoring 90pts or above.

Two Outstanding Chilean Merlots were uncovered. Cousiño Macul’s Jardín de Macul was celebrated for its combination of hedonistic opulence and ageworthy concentration, dubbed by Andy Howard MW ‘a fine advert for Maipo Andes’ in the inland east of the region.

The Bournet Lapostolle family’s Cuvée Alexandre also impressed the judges with its structure and ageability.

See all the wines from the South American Merlot panel tasting

Cellarworthy

In fact, the capacity of Chilean Merlot to age, alongside its remarkable value, was what most astonished the panel. Gubbins noted: ‘There is definitely something to be said about the ageability of these wines.’ And Howard agreed: ‘I think you can keep them longer than you might suspect.’

Eleven of the Chilean wines tasted were from the 2018-2020 vintages and more than half scored 90pts and above. Incredibly, at the time of tasting, seven were available at less than £15 a bottle: an impressive, and rare, ratio of value to ageworthiness.

South American Merlot may be less fashionable, but in terms of drinkability, ageability and value, it compares very favourably to Merlots from more established regions around the world.

South American Merlot panel tasting scores

Wines were tasted blind

The judges

Dror Nativ MW is a wine buyer for major retailer Marks & Spencer, responsible for South America as well as Bordeaux, Burgundy, England, Champagne and sparkling wine. Having begun his career in the hospitality sector, he has also worked in varying roles at Hayward Bros, Spar and Sainsbury’s.

Ben Gubbins is general manager and WSET wine educator at Vagabond Wines in London. A native of Chile, he previously worked as UK & Europe sales director for Dos Andes Wines before joining Vagabond in 2013.

Andy Howard MW is a Decanter contributing editor and DWWA Regional Chair. A retail wine buyer for more than 30 years, he now runs his own consultancy Vinetrades, focusing on wine education, judging, investment and sourcing.

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