Merlot has over the past four or five years become America's darling red wine grape. Originally from Bordeaux, on France's southern Atlantic coast, Merlot has traditionally been used as a blending grape, usually with Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc. Being an early-ripening grape, and one that can produce relatively high yields without excessively compromising quality, Merlot provides a form of insurance for growers in marginal climates such as Bordeaux, where the ripening of the thicker skinned Cabernet Sauvignon can be delayed, or even halted altogether, by cold weather.

Although generally a blending grape in Bordeaux, Merlot has taken on a life of its own in the New World, where it is frequently bottled largely unblended, or as a significant majority component. In this country, in order to qualify as a single variety wine, a bottle must contain at least 75 percent of the stated type; frequently the actual content is far greater, often as much as 100 percent. For the winemaker, the gentle tannins and juicy fruitiness of Merlot counterbalance the hard, often green, tannins, high acidity and raw power of young Cabernet Sauvignon.

For this reason, Merlot has earned for itself a reputation as a softer grape variety, although better Old World examples have been known to age and improve for 50 years or more. Although Merlot is by no means always a soft and juicy red, it has without doubt been heavily marketed as such in recent years. Praised by many for its bright cherry-like fruit, fleshy ripeness and refreshing acidity, it can also be rather astringent, especially in hotter, inland climates such as Napa Valley, where a short, sharp ripening season can lend an austere, green edge to the wine.

In the United States, Merlot performs exceptionally well in areas that combine warm daytime temperatures with cold nights: Washington's Columbia Valley springs to mind immediately as one such region, and it can be argued that much of the country's best Merlot comes from the sub-region of Yakima and nearby Walla Walla. In California, it is Northern Sonoma that seems to produce some of the best fruit, although there are some increasingly convincing examples being grown farther south in Carneros. On the East Coast, Long Island has for several years been slowly raising its standards.

For this tasting, I assembled a panel of six wine enthusiasts, including two restaurateurs, two retailers and one amateur, to assess a flight of 26 wines. All the wines were tasted blind - that is, they were uncorked, bagged and numbered by a non-participant, then tasted in numerical order. The wines were initially scored out of 20, taking into account various factors, such as cleanliness of fruit and winemaking, overall balance and whether or not the participants actually enjoyed them. The lowest-scoring 16 wines were then eliminated, and the 10 remaining wines were retasted blind. Any score that deviated more than 25 percent from a taster's original score was eliminated.

What surprised me more than anything else about the results of this tasting was the overall level of scores. Interestingly, the only non-American wine (see sidebar) was the overall winner, with a four star, or excellent, rating. The other wines all scored in the good to very good range. The following wines are all available in Indiana, and were rated Very Good t. Prices are approximate Indiana retail.

Bogle Vineyards Merlot California 2000 ($10) This popular red has a big assertive nose of ripe cherry fruit and charry oak, with overtones of coffee and mocha. Juicy, ripe fruit on the palate is just balanced by moderate acidity. The medium-length, woody finish is subtly augmented by barely-there tannins. Too oak-y for some, perhaps, but it seems to sell well.

Cartlidge & Browne Merlot California 2000 ($12) A few of our tasters noticed a distinctive Old-World "funk" to this popular wine, but that didn't put us off. Although slightly reductive (rubbery-smelling) on the nose, and initially lacking in a strong primary fruit character, a little time in the air worked wonders. Medium-bodied, with pleasing earth and herb notes, this should make quite a good food wine.

Castle Rock Napa Valley 2000 ($10) A complex nose of olives, cherry fruit and mint provides a welcoming introduction to this very sound offering. The palate is well-extracted, with a pleasing balance of ripe fruit and fine, ripe tannins. The finish is sweetish, tinged with vanilla oak and toast notes. Somewhat straightforward, but a lot of wine for the money.

Columbia Merlot Columbia Valley 1999 ($17) This is a very attractive, soundly put-together effort from one of my favorite American winemakers. (Well, he's Canadian, actually.) An elegant, restrained style of Washington State Merlot, this has a delicately herbal nose, with attractive overtones of thyme and mint, with underlying notes of charry oak and vanilla. On the palate, all is clean, ripe fruit, nicely balanced with refreshing acidity and warm, polished tannins. It's a pretty seamless package, well-constructed and certainly worthy of a year or two in the cellar.

Coppola Merlot California 2000 ($16) A perfumy nose of berries and cedar leads to a similarly-constituted palate. Firm and tannic on the finish, this needs either substantial aeration in the glass or at least six months in the cellar to show its best. For the price I would expect a bit more stuffing.

Echelon Merlot Central Coast 2000 ($12) This wine has a pleasingly herbaceous nose of mint and eucalyptus, with a touch of alcoholic heat that overlies the moderately ripe, sweetish berry fruit. There is good concentration of fruit on the mid palate, but the finish turns a touch austere when the less than ripe tannins kick in. Although this may improve with a few months aging, it's probably best to drink it while the fruit is still there in abundance.

Frei Brothers Reserve Merlot Dry Creek Valley 2000 ($19) One immediately notices the excellent ruby color, more saturated than most in this tasting. A fine, complex nose of mocha, iron and toasted bread overlays classical components of ripe black cherries and thyme. The palate is nicely concentrated and a touch sweet, with abundant, but well-balanced, notes of toasty French oak. The finish is a pleasing mix of sweet ripe fruit and a touch of butterscotch. Very good for a major brand.

Indigo Hills Merlot California 2000 ($10) A good, clean cherry nose is nicely augmented by spearmint and herbs. There is an excellent concentration of ripe, fleshy cherry fruit on the palate, well-balanced by bright, gripping acidity. While not a wine of great depth or complexity, it is cleanly made, varietally true and generally pleasing.

Rabbit Ridge California Merlot Barrel CuvÈe 2000 ($10) The least impressive in this range, but a sound effort nevertheless. A touch herbaceous, with a woodsy, dill-like nose, this medium-bodied, sweetish Merlot is a crowd pleaser for its virtual absence of tannin and round, supple mouthfeel.

Rodney Strong Merlot Sonoma 2000 ($16) Excellent levels of extract are apparent on the nose and palate. This wine is ripe and fleshy, with attractive overtones of mocha and coffee. The oak is pronounced, but does not dominate, although it contributes more than a hint of sweetness to the long finish.

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