The cellar

Top-rated Merlot

Every wine

The highest-rated Merlot bottlings we have reviewed, one per producer.

5.0 Bordeaux Chateau Ausone Chateau Ausone 5.0 Bordeaux Chateau Cheval Blanc Chateau Cheval Blanc 5.0 Valpolicella Giuseppe Quintarelli Alzero Giuseppe Quintarelli 5.0 Tuscany Masseto Masseto 5.0 Bordeaux Petrus Petrus 4.9 Ribera del Duero El Anejon de Carraovejas Pago de Carraovejas 4.9 Tuscany Galatrona Petrolo 4.9 Languedoc Mas de Daumas Gassac Rouge Mas de Daumas Gassac

Region by region

Where Merlot is made

27 regions, with their best Merlot bottles and the estates that make them.

Wine and cheese

Cheese with Merlot

Every cheese
Montasio Local tradition Wikipedia's article on Friulian cuisine lists Merlot, Refosco and Cabernet among the common reds drunk with frico, Montasio and aged latteria. Merlot's dark plum and firm, fine tannin frame the savoury, granular paste of a long-aged wheel. Colli Orientali Merlot, Friuli-Venezia Giulia: Miani Calvari Merlot · Ronco del Gnemiz Rosso del Gnemiz
Queso Castellano Our pick Five years or more in oak and bottle give these Tinto Fino reds mature complexity; a long-cured Castellano, sharper, saltier and more piquant with age, has the depth to match, and its fat carries the wine's grip. Ribera del Duero Gran Reserva and other Tinto Fino aged five years or more before release, Ribera del Duero: Valbuena 5 Grado
Pecorino delle Balze Volterrane Our pick The stagionato and da asserbo (6 to over 12 months) are firm, herbal and peppery. Gran Selezione, the top Chianti Classico tier, is full-bodied with firm tannin and high acidity, so a wheel of that age is not overwhelmed. Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, Tuscany: Castello di Ama Vigneto La Casuccia
Pecorino stagionato in botte Our pick A sliceable sheep's milk pecorino rubbed with olive oil and herbs wants a red with grip but not heavy tannin. Sangiovese-led Montefalco Rosso gives red fruit, medium tannin and freshness that carry the thyme and mint notes. Montefalco Rosso DOC, Umbria: Ziggurat · Montefalco Rosso · Montefalco Rosso
Pecorino Siciliano Our pick Aged Pecorino Siciliano is salty, with heat that builds over 4 to 8 months. Full-bodied Sicilian reds, from native blends to Syrah, Cabernet and Petit Verdot, bring the concentration and tannin to stand up to it. Full-bodied Sicilian reds beyond the classic appellations (blends and international varieties), Sicily: Baglio di Pianetto Ramione · Firriato Camelot
Ossau-Iraty Our pick These Merlot-led Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac reds have medium body and tannin with cherry or blackcurrant fruit. The cheese has a firm, melting paste that INAO describes as salted without excess, with hazelnut often present. Merlot-led red from Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac, Bordeaux: Chateau de la Riviere · Chateau Moulin Pey-Labrie · Chateau Haut-Lariveau

Plan the trip

Taste Merlot where it grows

Tastings and tours in the regions above, and somewhere to stay.

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