Wine Review: Chile’s Best Merlot Producer?

Merlot is still one of the most produced varieties in Chile, and it still has its own section in most wine shops and supermarkets. However, it still flies under the radar of most wine lovers. 

Chilean Merlot

Merlot is still the second most produced red grape variety in Chile, and although wine geeks often pooh pooh Merlot, it still has its popularity among those who fell in love with it in the 90’s and early 2000’s before Sideways made it uncool. It’s still popular in Chile. Although Carmenere can play a similar role for average drinkers here, whenever I ask non-wine geek Chileans about their favorite variety, most will say Merlot. It’s normally a simple, fruity, easy drinking wine with little to light oak treatment. 

At the same time, no producer makes a high-end Merlot in Chile.* The other Bordeaux varieties (even Petit Verdot) and Syrah all have icono or premium level cuvees but not Merlot. It’s as if producers mostly make Merlot because there’s still a large market for it, but their winemakers aren’t interested in experimenting with it or trying to elevate it as they are with other varieties. Neither are new wave, independent, low intervention producers making much Merlot. 

There are some decent Merlots here that go beyond just being an easy, fruity wine. They’re usually from cool-climates. They’re all mostly under $20, so that’s low to mid-range at best for Chilean prices. Maybe there were higher end Merlots in the 90’s and early 2000’s before I was here, but after 7 years here, I’ve never seen any. Maybe wine geeks who are willing to spend more money on wine just are interested in buying Merlot these days. Global warming isn’t doing it any favors either when the trend is towards fresher wines.  

Tres Palacios 

Tres Palacios is a producer that I’ve seen on the shelf since I arrived in Chile, and I had always thought I had tried it before. I checked my records and I realized I hadn’t. Then I read that it’s best known for its Merlot. Descorchados, the South American wine guide and rating magazine, even wrote that Tres Palacios produces the best Merlot in South America. Although they mostly produce under $20 Merlot here, they did make a 20th anniversary Merlot simply called Merlot Merlot that costs twice as much. Thus, this might be the only high-end level Merlot in Chile at the moment,* but it seems like it’s just for one vintage. 

I decided to buy one of their mid-level wines just to get an idea of the house style to see if it’s indeed one of the best Merlots in South America. However, the rest of South America has a similar mentality towards Merlot–they make some because there’s still a market for it, but it’s rarely their flagship wine or something they market to wine geeks while trendier varieties like Pinot have multiplied. The bar is not necessarily high in other words. Plus, honestly I’ve never rushed to buy Merlot from Argentina, Uruguay, etc. when I visit other South American countries. Hence, I wouldn’t be able to say it’s the best in South America. However, I have had a lot of Merlot from Chile, California and Bordeaux, so let’s see where Tres Palacios ranks.

Tasting Notes   

2019 Tres Palacios Family Vintage Merlot Maipo

100% estate Merlot planted on alluvial soils in the Cholqui Valley in coastal Maipo. This is along the coastal mountain range in Chile. 10-12 months in French oak. The nose shows ripe plummy notes, spice, herbs and chocolate. The palate is medium-bodied, with a creamy and smooth texture, medium-acid, ripe fruit and a touch of camphor. There’s enough juicy acidity on the back end to keep it from being flabby and the 14% alcohol gives it warmth but it’s not hot. It leans towards Bordeaux in a warm year with noticeable but elegantly integrated oak, but perhaps more Left Bank with its herbal side as if it had some Cabernet Sauvignon or Franc in it. It’s an excellent deal at around $11 and is much more than just a fruit bomb, New World Merlot. It’s quite mature at this stage and ready to go. 90 

Conclusion

It’s not a blockbuster, but I can’t think of a better Merlot from Chile that I’ve tasted. There are a couple that are perhaps equally good. If you like Bordeaux style wines, I think this Merlot and Catrala’s in Casablanca are the best to get from Chile. These have the fruit of Merlot but with more oak and body versus most Chilean Merlot, like Bordeaux and California. However, they have the coastal cool-climate acidic structure more towards Bordeaux, but not enough overall structure to age decades like the top Right Bank Bordeaux. Some might prefer Santa Ema’s Merlots, but it depends which one you get. Their Gran Reserva Merlot comes from the valley floor in Maipo and is more heavily oaked, leaning towards California with darker fruit and lower acid. Their more expensive Amplus Mountain Vineyard Merlot, on the other hand, is fresher since it’s Merlot from Alto Maipo. These three producers have the best reputation for Merlot in Chile if you’re looking for value Merlot.

*I stand corrected. Per the comment below, there is a $100+ “Jardin de Macul” Merlot by Cousiño Macul. I visited Cousiño Macul many years ago, but don’t recall seeing this cuvee there or ever at any wine shop. Again, maybe it’s because I’m not looking for Merlot beyond Bordeaux. It’s also because they don’t release their top wines until 5+ years after the harvest date and it looks like the first vintage was 2015 and the current vintage available is 2018. Production must be relatively small. It spends 15-18 months in new oak, and given Cousiño Macul’s reputation for making classically styled wines, I’m sure it leans towards Right Bank Bordeaux stylistically although the vineyard doesn’t have the clay and/or limestone soil the best Merlot from Bordeaux have. Is it their flagship wine? Their Lota cuvee (mostly Cab with some Merlot) was considered their top wine and there is a Cabernet Jardin de Macul too, but it’s definitely a high-end Chilean Merlot 5 times the price of most others. Indeed, Descorchados has since rated it as Chile’s Best Merlot. Anyway, this is something I hope to try in the future. Thanks Raul for correcting me.