Merlot

1996 Fetzer Barrel Select Cabernet Sauvignon, North Coast ($16).The question here is which of the current crop of Fetzer Barrel Select wines to put in the spotlight. Should it be the rich, intense 1998 chardonnay? The pale but gripping 1997 pinot noir? The sleek, fruity 1997 merlot? My nod goes to the cabernet, a medium- to full-bodied red wine with generous black cherry and cassis flavors. This gripping cabernet, a standout in this price range, could age five to seven years but is perfectly lovely now. If you haven't procured a companion for your Christmas roast beef, here's a worthy contender.

1996 Bois du Renard Merlot, Vin de Pays d'Oc ($10). This fruity, medium-bodied merlot from the south of France offers a subtle blend of black cherry, chocolate and blueberry flavors - the latter two more typically found in a deeply concentrated wine. While the wine is no blockbuster, it offers good length and intensity and none of the "off" flavors that often plague inexpensive merlot. For those who want a more weighty, meaty wine, Bois du Renard also makes a lush, supple 1996 syrah for about $8.Pub Date: 8/26/98

1997 Rosemount Estate Merlot, Southeastern Australia ($11.49).OK, so there's nothing particularly complex about this medium-bodied Aussie merlot. It's packed with juicy black-cherry fruit; there are no "off" notes; the texture is soft and unchallenging. It's a merlot that won't cheat the consumer - and that's saying a lot these days.Pub Date: 10/14/98

1997 Pepperwood Grove Merlot, California ($9).This is not a connoisseur's wine but a wine for the masses. Complex and full-bodied, it's not. It's merely a light merlot with a soft texture, generous fruit and straightforward charm. It's not what some of us snobs would serve at a fancy-schmancy dinner party, but Pepperwood Grove has done a fine job of producing an uncomplicated wine at a reasonable price. In a world of overpriced merlots, this one offers fair value.Pub Date: 6/17/98

In the bad old days of the early 1980s, tasting Chilean wine was more a punishment than a pleasure.Most of that country's reds were vile concoctions that tasted of well-aged green pepper. Many of the whites smelled more of a tannery than a winery. Even at dirt-cheap prices, they did not offer much value.L The difference between then and now is almost mind-boggling.With the demise of Chile's military dictatorship has come increased foreign and domestic investment in the country's wine industry.

1997 Walnut Crest Merlot, Rapel Valley ($5.49).This Chilean red wine is overly herbal and has a rather odd, stewed aroma. So why recommend it? Look at the price. It's a chunky, meaty, flavorful wine whose flaws can be overlooked if you just want a basic red to serve with hamburger or chili. Save the better wines for company, and enjoy this dirt-cheap red on your grungy nights.Pub Date: 2/15/98

1995 Hedges Cabernet-Merlot, Columbia Valley ($11.29).This red-wine blend, from an excellent Washington state winery, offers firm structure and ripe, voluptuous black currant and black cherry fruit. It's a full-bodied, forward wine in the Mae West style. There's also enough backbone here to let this wine age for a good five years.Pub date: 3/2/97

People in the wine industry tend to develop very sensitive noses. They can smell a sucker a mile away.That, in brief, is the reason for the merlot mania afflicting theglobe today. Consumers are being fed this line that merlot is a more refined wine than those harsh, nasty cabernet sauvignons.Humbug. Merlot, a classic varietal under the proper conditions, has become the biggest rip-off in the wine market today.The results are beginning to show: ridiculous prices for lackluster quality; vegetal flavors; meager fruit; dominating tannins.

Take out a second mortgage on the house. Pawn your engagement ring. If you love fine red wine, buy as much as you can of this exquisite, affordable Chilean wine. This is one of the wine world's greatest rarities -- a merlot that is a sensational value. It's bursting with the flavors of ripe blackberry and chocolate. It's a soft, supple, rich product that is not structured for aging, but for pure pleasure. The complexity and intensity of this $10 wine boggle the mind. A masterpiece!Pub Date: 6/29/97

SAGAPONACK, N.Y. - Sagpond Vineyards, the biggest producer of wines from estate-grown grapes on the South Fork of Long Island, has opened its new multimillion-dollar winery.The winery, at 139 Sagg Road, a bit north of Route 27 in Sagaponack, occupies a saffron-colored stucco building that the owner, Christian Wolffer, describes as Tuscan in style.The winery has nearly 50 acres of vineyards.The opening coincided with the early stages of grape growing and the vacation season. Visits to wineries on the South and North Forks, which lead to perhaps 75 percent of all winery sales, increase from Memorial Day and peak in October at harvest.

Over the past decade, more and more well-made, premium-varietal wines are finding their way into the bag-in-a-box format, which practically guarantees against the ruinous effect of tainted cork. This South African blend of merlot and pinotage is one of the best boxed wines I've tasted, and its $16 price tag for the equivalent of four regular bottles works out to a great bargain. It's an explosively fruity, medium-bodied red wine with ripe plum and blackberry flavors with a hint of black pepper.

2007 The Other From: Lodi, Calif. Price: $16 Serve with: Red meat, hearty pasta dishes Despite its velvety veneer, this lush, concentrated red wine from Peirano Estate Vineyards packs a real punch. It's a palate-grabbing blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah with a whopping 15.8 percent alcohol concealed under ripe blackberry fruit and portlike flavors. This isn't a wine for delicate European palates, but those who appreciate a big California-style red will love it. -

2005 St. Francis Merlot From: Sonoma County, Calif. Price: $18 Serve with: Pork, veal This complex, full-bodied merlot was just one of a solid lineup of red releases from St. Francis. This is a meaty, unrestrained merlot with lots of black-cherry, chocolate and herb flavors. It's good drinking now but should develop well for up to five years. Its solid grip is matched by its impressive length for a wine at this price. Also check out its stable mate, the 2005 Wild Oak Merlot, a touch more complex at $25.

Yes, it's a bit pricey, but this is an exceptionally well-made merlot with a texture and flavor that truly distinguishes itself from cabernet sauvignon. (Funny how many California merlots are just insipid cabernet wannabes.) This lush, ripe, complex wine offers intense, layered flavors of black cherry, raspberry and cassis. It's quite drinkable now but has the backbone to improve in the cellar for five to eight years. 2005 Luna Merlot From : Napa Valley, Calif. Price: $34 Serve with: Beef, lamb

2005 Merryvale Merlot From: Napa Valley, Calif. Price: $35 Serve with: Beef, lamb It's a rare California merlot that makes a solid case that its vineyard wouldn't have been better planted with cabernet sauvignon. This is one of them. It's a meaty yet velvet-textured red wine with concentrated black-cherry fruit and hints of herbs and chocolate. There's better-than-average complexity here and a drawn-out finish. Though accessible young, it has the structure to age well for five-10 years.

From: California Price: $12 Serve with: Steak, hamburger, pasta This medium-bodied red wine is no paragon of complexity. It's just a very pleasant merlot with generous black-cherry flavor and solid structure at an affordable price. It finishes with good length and provides just as much satisfaction as many California merlots that cost two or three times as much.

2005 R R Collection Merlot From: California Price: $15 Serve with: Roast chicken, pork This red wine - made by the folks who own the Napa Valley's Raymond Vineyards - brings excellent value and a high level of quality to the iffy category of California merlot. It shows surprisingly intense fruit, with pure blackberry, blueberry and black-cherry flavors and hints of herbs, chocolate and smoked meat. The blend includes 25 percent cabernet sauvignon - the maximum for a wine that's labeled a merlot.

2004 Raymond Reserve Merlot From: Napa Valley, Calif. Price: $24 Serve with: Roast turkey, red meat For about two decades, I have been a nonfan of Raymond. The chardonnays have been too oaky, the reds undistinguished. What a surprise then to open this merlot and find a complex, structured, full-bodied, penetrating red wine that hits all the right notes. Its chocolate, black-cherry and sweet oak flavors are pure and pleasing. It has enough backbone to cellar for five to eight years but is quite drinkable now.

2004 Estancia Meritage From: Paso Robles, Calif. Price: $33 Serve with: Roast beef, leg of lamb Meritage is a term for certain U.S. wines that use a blend of grapes similar to that used in Bordeaux. This red blend of cabernet sauvignon (61 percent), merlot (30 percent) and petit verdot (9 percent) is one of the more successful examples. It's a full-bodied, ripe wine with flavors of black cherry, black currant, vanilla and spices. It's well-structured, smooth and long in the finish -- indicating many years of future development.

2005 Souverain Merlot From: Alexander Valley, Calif. Price: $19 Serve with: Red meat, roast chicken, game birds Many California merlots seem to have no reason to exist because they are so similar - though usually less satisfying - to the same producer's cabernet sauvignon. Souverain's merlot is smooth and creamy, well-differentiated from cabernet. There are real echoes of Bordeaux's Pomerol region in its lush flavors and its "steel fist in a velvet glove" texture. The black cherry and plum fruit is seasoned with Asian spice flavors such as clove, cinnamon and nutmeg, with a touch of vanilla.