Merlot grape variety

In 1991, the Frescobaldi family at CastelGiocondo embarked on an experiment that caused a stir in the Sangiovese-dominated world of Montalcino: a single-varietal Merlot, made from the first Merlot vines that had been planted on the estate back in the 1970s. The Lamaione became the solitary, powerful and self-assured figure that it remains to this day in the Montalcino landscape – a wine that defies all the appellation's conventions.

Borgo del Tiglio's Collio Rosso Riserva is a northern Italian Merlot (with the addition of 5% Cabernet Franc) and is only vinified in the best vintages. A beautiful red with a delicate personality and a resting intensity that emphasises a kind of elegance that is particularly rare for this grape variety. On the nose, redcurrant, sour cherry, blue flowers and hints of caraway and crushed linseed. A great, exceptional red wine, of which only 1,200 bottles were produced. SUPERIORE.DE

Also from Bruttrio, like the Friulano Buri Bellaria, comes the almost pure top Merlot from the Palazzolo family. The vines of the vineyard, which was formerly cultivated by Miani, are almost 100 years old and regularly produce grapes of great complexity and very fine tannins, which, however, require at least two years of ageing and refinement before the wine is bottled unfiltered. But then the wine embarks on a journey that could not be more exciting and rewarding. On the nose, we find violet flowers and lots of blue and black berries, rounded off with savoury herbs and spices. A remarkably silky, almost floating red that leads into a never-ending, fusiose final with fleshy berries, minerals and herbs. SUPERIORE.DE

Deep dark, impenetrable ruby colour with violet reflections. Opulent, warm bouquet of fully ripe cherries, plums, liquorice, young leather with a hint of French oak spice. Powerful and firm on the palate, with a brilliant structure and taut tannins. With increasing aeration, it reveals its good structure and refined elegance. This outstanding Merlot from central Tuscany never seems broad or too heavy until the long finish, but is completely convincing with its terrificenergy and complexity. SUPERIORE.DE

"Vigna Dominin" comes from a steep single vineyard with old vines that are deeply rooted in the characteristic Ponca soil. Paolo Meroi only vinifies this wine in the best years and with uncompromising precision. The 2015 vintage was characterised by a cool growing season, which gave the grapes exceptional aromatic tension and a remarkable balance of fruit, structure and acidity. After rigorous manual harvesting, the wine matured for 24 months in French barriques and was only released after several years in the bottle.

The name Tresette is derived from the fact that only 2,800 bottles of this single-varietal Merlot are produced each year and it is aged in three Liters French oak barrels. The grapes come from old vines on a plot 480 metres above sea level, and it is only vinified in the best years. Tresette is a cool, archetypal Merlot that is very elegant and unique in Tuscany and is entirely in keeping with the house style. Juicy blackberry flavours, clove, herbs and spices on the nose. Enveloped by supple tannins, this fresh red leads into a delicious finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Also from Bruttrio, like the Friulano Buri Bellaria, comes the almost pure top Merlot from the Palazzolo family. The vines of the vineyard, which was formerly cultivated by Miani, are almost 100 years old and regularly produce grapes of great complexity and very fine tannins, which, however, require at least two years of ageing and refinement before the wine is bottled unfiltered. But then the wine embarks on a journey that could not be more exciting and rewarding. On the nose, we find violet flowers and lots of blue and black berries, rounded off with savoury herbs and spices. A remarkably silky, almost floating red that leads into a never-ending, fusiose final with fleshy berries, minerals and herbs. SUPERIORE.DE

On the "hill of the blackbirds" – is the poetic translation of Poggio ai Merli – has been producing one of the most impressive interpretations of the Merlot grape variety in Tuscany since 1999. Here, where Paolo Panerai expresses his vision of international grape varieties on Tuscan terroir, Merlot vines grow on calcareous soils between 350 and 400 metres above sea level, developing a personality that is rarely found even in the best international appellations thanks to their unique location. The name deliberately plays on the ambiguity between "Merli" (blackbirds) and Merlot – a play on words that emphasises the close connection between this terroir and the birdlife that Castellare has always protected and celebrated. Each bottle is labelled with a bird that nests in the estate's pesticide-free vineyards – a symbol of the estate's sustainable philosophy.

In sun-drenched Siebeneich, where the gentle slopes at an altitude of just 250 metres benefit from the warm climate of the Bolzano valley floor, Merlot finds its South Tyrolean perfection. This privileged location not far from Terlan, characterised by dry, hot soils of weathered quartz porphyry, gives the Bordeaux grape variety the intensity and structure that lead it to mastery. The name suffix "Praun" – from the South Tyrolean dialect for "brown" – since the 2021 vintage refers to the phenolically perfectly ripe, dark brown seeds and the woody-brownish structure of the stems, unmistakable signs of optimal physiological ripeness and exceptional grape quality.

Merlot Dominin 2019 is explosive from the first sip. The rich bouquet is complex with raspberries, flowers, liquorice and herbs. The palate is extremely complex with overripe and opulent fruits. A wine with sheer exuberant elements, but nevertheless very coherent in its entirety. Everything is in the right place here and it is clearly the flagship wine of the boutique winery and on par with the great red wines of Miani. SUPERIORE.DE

Some wines are created according to plan. And some are created because nature wants them to be. Il Merlot belongs to the second category – a wine that is only born when terroir, climate and sun come together in rare harmony. Maurizio Zanella, the visionary behind Ca' del Bosco, has elevated this principle to a philosophy: since the first vintage in 1990, only six vintages have been deemed worthy of being bottled as single-varietal Merlot. 2015 was one of them. That year, Franciacorta challenged its winegrowers: a mild winter spurred the vegetation cycle early, fungal pressure in early summer demanded meticulous foliage work, then sweltering heat until the end of July. Only after Ferragosto did rain bring redemption – and gave the Merlot grapes the final ripeness that distinguishes greatness from favour. The harvest began on 9 September for the three "vigne elette" in Cazzago San Martino and Passirano, whose vines, which are on average 37 years old, are rooted in the calcareous moraine soils of Franciacorta.

Crosara Breganze 2017 is a textbook Merlot: full of ripe dark fruits, blackberry pie, liquorice, chocolate, toasted oak and grilled herbs. Offering superb inner sweetness, it is both powerful and elegant, with a lush, super-soft mouthfeel. Pleasingly, a wonderfully focused mineral component saves the wine from ever being overdone. SUPERIORE.DE

Pàtrimo is no ordinary southern Italian. Vinified purely from Merlot, this exceptional wine comes from ancient, ungrafted vines that Feudi di San Gregorio once discovered at high altitudes in Irpinia – a viticultural rarity and the foundation of one of Italy's most iconic red wines. Deep dark ruby colour with a violet rim in the glass. The bouquet shows Merlot in an unusual, Mediterranean way: Black cherry, ripe plum, liquorice and rosemary, underpinned by mocha, tobacco leaf, vanilla and graphite. Structured and opulent on the palate, but never overloaded: velvety tannins, extract-rich fruit, dark spice and a hint of balsamic freshness that balances the richness. The long ageing in new French barriques lends the wine noblesse without putting it in uniform.

These are the rare moments when a wine combines everything: origin, character and that depth that is difficult to explain. "Titut Ros" is just such a wine - a single-varietal Merlot that is only made in very small quantities and exclusively from the oldest vines on the steep plots of Ronc di Vico. The deep roots of the vines, anchored in the barren Ponca soil of the Colli Orientali, characterise a fruit of rare intensity and clarity. Thanks to stable weather conditions, the 2022 vintage offered perfect ripeness with impeccable health - the grapes were hand-picked, meticulously selected and vinified with a long maceration period. The wine then matured for 18 months in new and used French barriques before finding its inner balance in the bottle.

In the late 1980s, Luca Sanjust planted the first Merlot clones in the clay-rich soils of Feriale, unaware that he was about to create a legend. The name Galatrona – once the estate of the Tuscan dynasty, whose medieval watchtower towers above the ten-hectare vineyard – was to become synonymous with Italian Merlot perfection. "The Le Pin of Tuscany", as Wine Spectator calls it, yet at a fraction of the price of that legendary Pomerol. The 50,000 vines on south-east-facing terraces combine Bordeaux genetics with a Tuscan soul. Clay retains the moisture that Merlot needs during the hot summers, whilst slate, marl and sandstone provide the mineral complexity.

In 1990, Lucia Bazzocchi Sanjust planted a small plot of Merlot, intended as a blending component for the Torrione, not as a wine in its own right. Fate had other ideas: in 1994, the harvest from this plot was overlooked; the grapes were left on the vine for too long, and, unsure of their quality, the family vinified them separately. That very autumn, the young critic James Suckling was a guest in Mercatale Valdarno and was so impressed by the barrel that he urged Luca Sanjust to bottle the wine undiluted. And so, from an overlooked vineyard, the Galatrona was born, whose 2024 vintage now marks the 30th vintage since that unintended initial success.

Smells intensely of redcurrants and black cherries, leather, spices and liquorice. Lush and flowing on the palate, all elements merge into a great, striking wine. Great potential! SUPERIORE.DE

Geremia founded the Ricasoli family in the 7th or 8th century – at a time when Chianti was not yet the name of a wine, but a battleground between rival noble families. His descendant, Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi, now runs the same estate, on the same land, in Gaiole in Chianti. And he named this wine after his ancestor. This is particularly intriguing given that the Geremia is not a Sangiovese. In 1997, Marco planted Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon across 2.5 hectares of his hillside – deliberately, out of curiosity, and with a clear question in mind: what does this terroir express in a different language? The calcareous-clay soils at altitudes of between 340 and 510 metres, the south-southeast exposure, the microclimate between Florence and Siena – everything that shapes Sangiovese is also available here to the Bordeaux varieties. Hand-harvested in baskets, fermented in temperature-controlled tanks, aged for 24 months in medium-toasted Allier barriques, bottled unfiltered, and aged in bottle for 18 months. Certified organic.

On 27 November 1984, Benito and Giannola Nonino created something that had never existed before: ÙE, a grape brandy distilled together from the skin, pulp and juice. Not grappa, not brandy – something unique that combines the elegance of one with the character of the other. They had to fight for ministerial authorisation; today, half the distilling world follows their model. This Gran Riserva continues the legacy: exclusively Monovitigno Merlot from Friuli, harvested at optimum ripeness and processed immediately. Fermentation takes place anaerobically in stainless steel, distillation slowly in Benito's specially designed copper steam stills. Then the journey begins in the sherry casks from Jerez de la Frontera – for twelve years under customs seal, without a drop of colouring.

Dark ruby purple in colour, with a blackcurrant aroma and an outstanding length, firm tannins, fine extract sweetness and a pronounced spicy note on the final. We are excited to see what elegant heights this great Tuscan Merlot will reach in the coming years.

The Rosso della Centa is a 100% Merlot that comes from a small vineyard on the south-western slopes of the hills of San Giorgio in Brazzano. Red grapes are grown on this one-hectare plot of land, most of them Merlot. The soil of this marvellous field is typical of the Collio, as it was formed by the fragmentation of the alternating layers of marl and sandstone that form the foundation of the hills. The slopes are very steep, which is why the field was terraced and stabilised with dry stone walls.

Masari only brings its famous Merlot to the cellar and bottle in the best years. Dark, deep garnet red in colour. Aromas of black, ripe fruit with spices, balsamic herbs, aniseed and liquorice on the nose. Well and firmly structured on the palate with silky tannins and a wonderful mouthfeel. Despite its maturity, it appears much younger as it has a harmonious acid wire on the finish. 100% Merlot - 100% terroir. SUPERIORE.DE