Merlot holds a place of honour in some of the most precious and revered wines in the world. Fortunately for Ontario wine lovers, Merlot is also a grape that provides great pleasure in wines made right here. The vineyards of Niagara, similar to those of Merlot's classic Bordeaux home, are situated in moderate climatic areas where vintage variation plays a major role in fuller-bodied red wines—Merlot included. This means a winemaker frequently needs to be in top form to channel the best of the vintage into a great wine, and, when he or she is successful, it means excitingly unique characteristics in wines from year to year.
2007 Some Like it Hot
The 2007 vintage in Niagara—in fact, across most of the province—was unusually hot and dry, with a wealth of sunshine throughout the growing season. Red wine grapes thrived in these conditions, almost effortlessly achieving a full ripeness and roundness of fruit, and notable intensity and concentration. For Merlot, the vintage emphasized the grape's natural sweet-centred dark fruit character and plush mouthfeel—exemplified in Pillitteri Estate's 2007 Merlot, with its ripe fruit and silky tannins—and brought a lovely richness to its inherent chocolaty spice notes.
2009 Rewards of Patience
Niagara's 2009 vintage saw a certain amount of meteorological melodrama—with a happy ending. It began with plenty of rainfall throughout the early spring. In May the rains slowed, temperatures remained moderate throughout June and grapes ripened slowly and evenly, maintaining their bright natural acidity. The rains that returned in July and August were followed by an exceptionally warm, sunny September that gave Merlot just the kick it needed to add a depth of robust fruit to the natural freshness, spiciness and elegance that the vintage imparted. For winemakers who were patient and made the right moves—as Ridgepoint's Arthur Harder did with his spicy, balanced version—2009 was an opportunity to make Merlot of intriguing complexity and nuance.
2010 Here Comes the Sun
The 2010 vintage got off to an early start, with warm temperatures leading to budburst two weeks ahead of schedule. Sunshine and warm weather stretched on throughout summer, with things cooling off gradually in September and into October. As the days grew cooler yet stayed sunny, growers had an expansive window of opportunity to pick their grapes at exactly the right convergence of sugars and balancing acidity, and create wines like 13th Street's juicy, plush Merlot. Potential was great for all grape varieties in 2010, and there were almost limitless possibilities for winemakers to achieve their desired style.
