“MERLOT SOMETIMES gets a bad rap for being sweetish, soft and nothing more,” says Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za editor and tasting panel chair. However, “the best examples are really luscious and velvety as only Merlot at its finest is able to be… Its crucial characteristic is not its flavour but its texture, which can be described in one word – smooth. It tends to be noticeably lower in tannins and acidity than Cabernet Sauvignon, and hence provides lots of fruity impact on the palate…”

Eedes, together with merchants Roland Peens and James Pietersen of the Wine Cellar in Cape Town, assessed 52 entries from 45 South African producers for Winemag’s 2020 Prescient Merlot Report. Among their Top 10 favourites: three with pedigrees that count among the best as recorded for the SA Wine Classification, namely De Grendel, Eagles’ Nest and Shannon Mount Bullet, plus a couple from one of the most historic gems in the Cape and another of the country’s Top 30 cellars, the beautiful Vergelegen Estate.

No doubt eyebrows were raised when the powers that be at Anglo American-owned Vergelegen chose to name one of the wines in their new Single Vineyard range ‘The Mistake’. Apparently French consultant Michel Rolland misunderstood the volume requirements and instead of putting together a blend of 3000 cases stopped short at 300…

WINEMAG FAVOURITES

Boschendal 1685 Merlot 2017
R140pb ex-cellar, Franschhoek

De Grendel Merlot 2017
R160pb ex-cellar, Panorama, Durbanville WR

Eagles’ Nest Merlot 2015
R195pb ex-cellar, Constantia

Glenelly Glass Collection Merlot 2018
R125pb ex-cellar, Ida’s Valley, Stellenbosch

Le Bonheur Manor Meander Merlot 2018
R100pb ex-cellar, Simonsberg, Stellenbosch

Nitida Merlot 2018
R115pb ex-cellar, Durbanville

Remhoogte Aspect Merlot 2016
R190pb ex-cellar, Simonsberg, Stellenbosch

Shannon Mount Bullet 2017
R465pb ex-cellar, Elgin

Vergelegen Mistake Merlot 2015
R400pb ex-cellar, Helderberg, Somerset West

Vergelegen Reserve Merlot 2015
R260pb ex-cellar, Helderberg, Somerset West