Merlot: On the rebound?

If merlot is “back,” as some experts claim, I’m not seeing the evidence, said Steve Heimoff in SteveHeimoff.com. In Calif­ornia, there’s been a 13 percent drop in the number of acres planted with merlot since 2006—part of a decline that some attribute to the merlot-bashing wine snob played by Paul Giamatn the 2004 film Sideways. Yet some California winemakers insist they’re sniffing a turnaround, said Ryan Flinn in Bloomberg.com. They say that because bad merlots have been chased from the market, upscale merlots are seeing a lift in sales. Says Doug Shafer, of Napa’s Shafer Vineyards, “In the short term, Sideways was horrible for merlot. In the long term, it’s the best thing that could have happened.” Here are three merlots that would justify a comeback.

2007 Duckhorn Merlot Three Palms Vineyard ($85). This merlot is a “powerhouse meant for aging,” from a winery whose “merlot lineup displays the grape’s many facets.”

2008 Shafer Vineyards Napa Merlot ($48). The rich “raspberry and black cherry flavors” of this bottle are “kept in check” by “massive” acidity.

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2008 Hourglass Blueline Vineyard Merlot ($75). This “rich, extracted” merlot “tastes like raspberry compote, finishing with sweet-tart acidity.”