A Tasting of Three Merlots

Among red grape varieties in Bordeaux, merlot comprises 50% of vines planted on the Left Bank, 72% on the Right Bank, and 66% overall. At the May 2022 Commanderie de Bordeaux Educateurs’ Forum, SF Commandeurs Raj Dev and Matthew Raphaelson gave a detailed presentation on merlot from three distinct sites on the Right Bank, complete with the ancestry of merlot, the similarities between soil composition in those sites, and the essential role of merlot in the region. The presentation began with a recorded video of Francois Mitjavile, of Ch. Tertre Roteboeuf in St. Emilion and Ch. Roc de Cambes in Cote de Bourg (the 2016 Roc de Cambes was one of the three wines tasted), highlighting the expression of merlot in relation to the terroir in Bourg, which lies directly across the Gironde estuary from the commune of Margaux. Hubert de Bouard- owner of Ch. Angelus in St. Emilion- who was present at the talk, discussed his other property in Lalande-de-Pomerol, Fleur de Bouard, from which the 100% merlot Le Plus was tasted. The third wine tasted was 2015 Ch. La Dominique, from the gravelly part of St. Emilion located at the Pomerol border, near Figeac and Cheval Blanc. There followed a lively group discussion, comparing each wine with the others as well as with flavors of jams presented at each table: violet flowers, black currants, damson plums, morello cherries and so on.
Tasting suggestions: the same three wines, from the 2019 vintage.