Showdown among the most popular merlots

Any wines I recommend have been carefully scrutinized in terms of price and quality. But there is a final test that they must pass, and in some ways it is the most important of all. Are they currently available, in good supply, and widely distributed so that they are relatively easy to buy?

Perhaps the most common complaint from readers is that they cannot find recommended wines. Believe me, I sympathize. It doesn't do anyone any good — not me, not you, not the wineseller — for me to rave about an unobtainable wine. Yet, inevitably, once a wine has been recommended, it becomes more desirable. If it is from a small winery with limited production, there is less to begin with. In extreme cases, wines that receive very high ratings numbers from influential publications such as the Wine Advocate and the Wine Spectator may suddenly increase dramatically in price, if you can find them at all.

So I've decided to turn the tables. From time to time this column will stage a showdown, focusing on the wines that consumers have voted the most popular. Your voting machine is your wallet. What I will do is to gather as many of the best-selling wines in a given category as possible, taste them all, and report to you on which seem to offer the best flavors. By definition, all the wines in these showdowns will be very popular brands that are widely available, so you should have no trouble finding them.

To get the cork rolling, let's consider the top-selling merlots.

The best way to identify the most popular brands is through grocery-store sales, which are tracked by two ratings services. In this country, grocery stores account for roughly a third of all wine sales. Another third is sold through independent wine shops, warehouse stores, etc. And the final third is sold on-premise in restaurants, bars and tasting rooms. But tracking numbers for these latter categories are hard to come by, so we'll go with the first, most-accessible measure, grocery-store sales.

There's no question this is an inexact science, as the ratings are a moving target. Even so, most of the top sellers will be represented in these showdowns. In addition, I will track down some widely available, comparably priced wines that have not yet cracked the top 20, but are well worth your hard-earned dollars.

For the record, I am using rankings based upon unit sales, not dollar volume figures. Unit sales track the actual number of cases of wine sold, a more accurate indicator of which brands people are buying. None of the top-selling merlots costs more than $15, and most are considerably less. They are frequently "posted off" (sale priced) for long periods of time. But the bottom line is, are they good?

What you want to taste in these wines is clean fruit, first and foremost, with flavors that may include berry, cherry and plum. If there are hints of barrel aging (vanilla or milk chocolate), that's an added bonus, especially at these prices. You also look for balance, clarity, and in the best wines, added weight and texture. What you do not want are signs of unripe fruit (vegetal flavors), stemmy or "green" flavors, or anything musty, dirty, rubbery or chemical.

Merlot is a difficult wine to make well at any price, because the grape lacks definition. It does not have the muscle of cabernet, the spice of syrah, the fruit intensity of zinfandel or the elegance of pinot noir. It has traditionally been a blending grape, used as a component in Bordeaux and Bordeaux-style red wines. Yet it has become popular, especially here in Washington state, largely because this state's winemakers do such a bang-up job with it.

In terms of pure sales, the top 20 list is largely weighted to California wines, but that has more to do with the availability of inexpensive grapes than with absolute quality.

Best buy

Charles Shaw 2001 Merlot ($3). Exclusive to Trader Joe's, this wine rates a special mention because, at three bucks a bottle, it is peerless. Pleasant, light fruit is set against some sweet flavors of graham cracker. Believe it or not, we are paying a premium here in Washington; the same wine sells for $2 in California!

Best bottle

Columbia Crest 1999 Grand Estates Merlot ($8). See review below.

Brave & bold

Here are a pair of interesting Chilean merlots that rate a closer look. Santa Ema 1999 Reserve Merlot ($9) is unusual for its intense flavor of vanilla extract. Delicious and distinctive. Montes 2001 "Special Cuvée" Merlot ($8) is a smooth, supple wine showing bright berry fruit laced with chocolate and vanilla accents.

Among the best sellers, here are my top 10, in order of preference:

1. Columbia Crest 1999 Grand Estates Merlot ($8). Great vintage, great producer. This is a meaty, substantial wine with grip and muscle that gives the merlot grape more varietal character than is usually found in bottles under $30.

2. BV Coastal 2000 Merlot ($10). A ripe, lush, forward wine, polished and focused, very well-made.

3. Barnard Griffin 2000 Merlot ($13). Flat-out delicious, with rich, toasty, densely packed fruit, and appealing surface notes of vanilla wafer.

4. Blackstone 2000 Merlot ($10). A substantial offering, with bold cherry and plum fruit and pleasing hints of tobacco, all in a balanced framework.

5. Hogue 2000 Merlot ($9). Solid winemaking, with firm, polished fruit set against a pleasing background of light chocolate.

6. (tie) Covey Run 2000 Merlot ($9). Covey scores with a smooth, softly plummy wine that offers hints of sandalwood and milk chocolate.

6. (tie) Delicato 2001 Merlot ($8). A lighter style, emphasizing sweet berry fruit. Almost a zin clone, it's that juicy and crisp.

8. Pepperwood Grove Merlot 2000 ($8). This popular brand delivers pleasant, lightly fruity flavors that are balanced and charming, with just enough complexity to stand apart from the pack.

9. Talus 2000 Merlot ($9). This is another well-made, balanced effort, with structure and persistence of flavor.

10. Glen Ellen 2000 Merlot ($5.50). Rounding out the top 10 is this budget gem, a bottle of easy-drinking wine with juicy fruit flavors and a hint of toasty oak.

Paul Gregutt can be reached at wine@seattletimes.com.