WineAlign - Awards - 2019 NWAC Merlot

Results of the 2019 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (The Nationals)

Merlot

Category Overview by Judge Michael Godel

It would indeed be tempting to say that merlot is back, but it never left, and truth be told even the critics who outwardly claim to hate it always seem to find a soft spot in their hearts and on their palates for the ones made really well. Merlot can be crafted with honesty, in balance with restraint and when it speaks in the vernacular of the fruit purity it’s so capable of iterating, well then beautiful just happens. Welcome to the breath of fresh merlot air exhaled from out of the 2019 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada. The grape that just keeps coming back.

(Jump straight to the medal winners.)

This year’s competition saw to 35 medals in the merlot varietal category, a Platinum, five Gold, six Silver and 23 Bronze. That’s six more in total than 2018 with just one less Gold-Platinum winner and while the total number was also one more in 2017 there were double the G-P winners in 2019. That tells us merlot has either maintained or increased its ability to convince the judges of its capabilities in one respect or the other.

What about vineyard acreage? Statistics from Wines of British Columbia tells us that the plantings continue to grow. Latest numbers are 1,585 acres under vine, nearly 50 per cent more than pinot noir, more than double cabernet sauvignon and nearly triple that of cabernet franc. It accounts for approximately 16.5 percent of all grapes grown. Who would not agree that in B.C. it can be soft and easy-sipping, but in many cases, “it naturally produces more structured, higher tannin wines than in most parts of the world.” Like pinot gris it can please all camps so it continues to be a go to varietal for so many growers.

According to VQA Ontario merlot now sits in the top four when it comes to wine production, at 9.7 percent in 2018, trailing behind only riesling, chardonnay and cabernet franc. Compared to the previous year, merlot replaced vidal in the top four, a move upwards that is also reflective of the continued recovery from winter damage in past years. The next several climate change-affected years may just bring a whole new crop of full and structured merlot, provided it can shake off any future shocks that more polar vortex winters may bring.

All six Platinum and Gold medal winners are from B.C., a shocker I know but two top examples are from two exceptional Ontario vineyards (Thirty Bench on the Beamsville Bench and Tawse on the Lincoln Lakeshore), recognized as Silver along with four from the west. Those top B.C. merlots are all from well-known producers at the head of the class and perennially recognized for their varietal wines. Black Sage, Bartier Bros., CedarCreek, Painted Rock, Stag’s Hollow Winery, Bench 1775, Gray Monk, Hillside, Mission Hill and Wild Goose. Enough said.

We were keenly aware of a shift in merlot style seemingly taking hold with less examples of rich, thick, viscous and milkshake-textured wines. Raising of brows and nods of agreement are for merlot’s two way travelling. There are those that gently appease with pleasant warmth and a hug that blankets without crushing, and still others so impressively compressed with layers of fruit, structure and finishing grip. Which kind of merlot makes you smile?

And the winners are…

Black Sage 2016 Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Bartier Bros. 2017 Merlot Cerqueira Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
CedarCreek 2015 Platinum Merlot Desert Ridge, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Painted Rock 2015 Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Stag’s Hollow 2016 Renaissance Merlot Stag’s Hollow Vineyard, Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Wild Goose 2017 Merlot Secrest Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Bench 1775 2016 Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Gray Monk 2017 Merlot, British Columbia
Hillside 2016 Merlot, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Mission Hill 2016 Reserve Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Tawse 2014 Merlot Laundry, Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Thirty Bench 2016 Small Lot Merlot, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario