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"Young Merlots Versus Young Cabs"

by Fred McMillin Prologue "A facet of Merlot's increasing popularity is its tendency to make softer and less tannic wines than does Cabernet Sauvignon. [It is ready sooner], requiring less long-term cellaring than Cabernet." ...Charles L. Sullivan, Companion to California Wine   The Rest of the Story So, does a young Merlot taste better than a young Cabernet Sauvignon? To get an answer, we tasted blind ten 1997 Cabs, each paired with a Merlot of the same year and the same price. When the voting was completed and the bottles unwrapped, here's what we found. The wines that won by the largest margin are listed last. Place Winning Margin Winning Varietal Price The Wine 10th 0.6% Merlot $21 Sattui, Napa Valley 9th 5.4% Merlot $12 Rosenblum, Napa Valley 8th 9.8% Merlot $15 Jekel, Monterey 7th 18.3% Merlot $15 Shooting Star, Lake County 6th 22.3% Cab $11 Napa Ridge, Central Coast 5th 26.8% Merlot $14 Echelon (Chalone), Central Coast 4th 29.4% Merlot $10 C. Mitchell, El Dorado 3rd 32.5% Cab $13 Firestone, Santa Ynez Valley 2nd 33.1% Cab $7 Stone Creek, California Winner 34.0% Merlot $18 Baywood Cellars, Monterey   Conclusion The 1997 Merlots won seven out of ten matches. This test helps explain Merlot's explosive sales record. Young Merlots usually DO taste better.

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