Is There A Difference Between Merlots?

[misterjive]

I couldn't agree with you more about the Veramonte, Randy (in fact, see my comment of 9/23 in "Wines Without a Category" folder). And as far as pricing and greatness relate, I would say that while many South American Merlots appear and taste like $9 bottle, so do many California Merlots priced at $12-20. A $9 bottle of Errazuriz, Finca Flichman, or Santa Rita clearly beats many $12-20 California "battling varietal" producers at their own game. As I have noted on this bulletin board before, I tell friends that Flichman Malbec (until recently $3.99 at my favorite wine store), "drinks like a twenty-dollar bottle of wine." What I mean when I say this is a $20 bottle of CALIFORNIA wine.

I agree with all, I am sure, on the excellence of the above list. The folks at Chateau Ste Michelle probably resent being stuck in a list of "top California producers," but otherwise the list is dead-on. Ravenswood single vineyard selections, Dry Creek Reserve, and even KJ Grand Reserve (in the great vintages) deserve to be on this list, too.

On a pricing note, I would say that you can't make this list for under $26 in nearly any marketplace. Indeed, many of these of these wines typically start at around $40. The challenge, it would seem, is to find the fantastic Californian Merlot for $20-24!

Finally, to plug Jancis one more time, I would recommend to anyone on the planet who does not have it to pick up a copy of the Robinson-edited OXFORD COMPANION TO WINE. At roughly $60, it is easily worth ten bottles of Chilean Merlot, and then some!