Thanks for the Cabs, how about Merlots?

[Dano]

A few months ago i asked for recommendation on Cabernets and i was given;

Hess
Mondavi
JLohr
Liberty School
Rodney Strong
Sebastiani

Thanks for the suggestions. I really loved the HESS and JLohr especially. Liberty was the only one i wasnt as crazy about.

Now to move on, how bout some Merlot suggestions. Thanks again D.

[Innkeeper]

Merlot is not my favorite wine. I like the ones from northeast Italy and the east bank of the Garronne best. Look for Bortoluzzi, Isonzo Del Friuli DOC, Merlot at $16-$20. The best resonably available American is Easton, Shenandoah Valley (CA), Merlot at $20. Some at the lower price points that others have liked at Bogle, Blackstone, and Ironstone.

[wondersofwine]

With Blackstone I prefer the Napa Merlot to the bottle that just says California (grapes from Napa Valley as opposed to grapes from anywhere in California).
You might also try some Washington State Merlots such as Snoqualmie or Columbia Crest.

[dananne]

Like IK, I'm also not a big fan of Merlot, but I'll highly second the suggestions from Wonders on the Washington options, adding Chateau Ste. Michelle to the list. All should be reliable options under $15.

[robr]

Mondavi and Rodney Strong also make some pretty decent merlots. My favorite recently is one from Chile! Cut and paste this link to read about it:

http://www.wines.com/ubb2/Forum15/HTML/000227.html

[californiagirl]

I would second the Chateau Ste Michelle from Wash. I have had Chilean(sp) Merlots in the past, and liked them. Sorry, can't recall the names

[TheEngineer]

You can also look for Bordeaux wines from St. Emilion which are predominantly merlot. One I particularly like and is generally reasonable is Chateau Grand Pontet.