DWWA 2026: 15 award-winning Merlot-dominant wines
Decanter’s International Merlot Day selection spans Argentina, France, New Zealand, Romania and South Africa. Château L'Enclos Pomerol 2023 leads the 15 wines with Best in Show and 97 points.
For International Merlot Day, Decanter presented 15 Merlot-dominant wines recognised at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2026. Château L'Enclos Pomerol 2023 received the highest distinction, Best in Show with 97 points, while the wider selection covers Gold and Platinum medals with scores from 95 to 97.1
Merlot is the world’s 2nd most planted wine grape, behind Cabernet Sauvignon. It typically gives medium- to full-bodied wines with plum, black cherry, blackberry, chocolate, bay leaf and vanilla notes; cedar, leather and tobacco can emerge with age. Suggested partners include roast chicken, pork, beef casseroles, lasagne, mushrooms and medium-hard cheeses. Everyday examples are generally best within 3–5 years of the vintage, whereas leading Saint-Émilion and Pomerol wines can develop for 2 decades or longer.1
Why Merlot Day falls on 7 November
International Merlot Day has no official founder. Its early-November timing suits the grape’s supple fruit and the season’s fireside meals, while online participation is associated with the #MerlotDay hashtag.1
Wine enthusiasts have observed the occasion on 7 November since the early 2010s. A Napa Valley winery launched the month-long #MerlotMe campaign in 2013, and its US finale also takes place on 7 November.1
From Bordeaux to the wider wine world
The name Merlot is thought to derive from “merle”, the French word for blackbird, possibly referring either to the grape’s blue-black skins or to birds feeding in vineyards at harvest. Its earliest written record comes from Bordeaux in 1784. DNA analysis identifies Cabernet Franc and Magdeleine Noire des Charentes as its parents, making it a half-sibling of Cabernet Sauvignon. Pomerol’s Petrus is produced from 100% Merlot.1
Merlot is Bordeaux’s most widely planted grape. It ripens earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon and is better suited to cool, damp clay. On the gravelly Left Bank it commonly softens Cabernet Sauvignon-led blends and contributes fleshy fruit; on the Right Bank, particularly in Saint-Émilion and Pomerol, it generally leads alongside Cabernet Franc, producing wines noted for richness and perfume.1
US demand surged during the 1980s and 1990s, although rapidly expanding production did not always favour quality. In the 2004 film Sideways, the Merlot-averse protagonist Miles ultimately drinks his treasured 1961 Château Cheval Blanc—a Saint-Émilion blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc—from a disposable cup. A Sonoma State University study subsequently associated the film’s release with an approximately 2% fall in US Merlot sales and a 16% rise for Pinot Noir; most of the damage affected wines priced below $10. US production is now smaller but stronger, led by Napa Valley and Washington State, while Merlot remains among the country’s best-selling varieties.1
Beyond Bordeaux, Friuli and Veneto produce light, juicy Merlot, while the grape has been important to Tuscan coastal blends since the 1970s and also appears in celebrated wines made from 100% Merlot. It occupies about 80% of the vineyards in Ticino, where it is also vinified as Bianco di Merlot. Chile’s Central Valley is associated with generous, fruit-led examples; Hawke’s Bay makes fresh, elegant Merlot-based blends; Stellenbosch uses it in Bordeaux-style blends; and Bulgaria grows it widely for soft, fruity reds.1
The 15 DWWA 2026 selections
Exactly 4 Bordeaux wines earned Gold and 96 points. Château Cazenave, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux 2023 combines vivid red plum with spice and flowers, supported by graphite-like tannins and a persistent, firm finish; alcohol is 14.5%. Château De Pressac, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux 2023 brings blackcurrant, cedar, tobacco and grilled-meat aromas to concentrated young tannins and a very long finish; alcohol is 14.5%. Château Moulin De Bernat, Cuvée De La Viticultrice, Bordeaux 2025 offers dark bramble and hedgerow fruit, broad cocoa-toned tannins, firm black-cherry acidity and a long saline close; alcohol is 13%. Dassault, Château La Fleur, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux 2019 shows developed prune, liquorice, date, fig and coffee aromas with a powerful frame and sleek tannic centre; alcohol is 15%.1
A further 3 Bordeaux wines received Gold and 95 points. Château Bourdieu, N°1, Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux 2024 has dark-cherry and floral notes, cushioned tannins and a lingering saline accent, finishing long and savoury; alcohol is 14.5%. Château Palais Cardinal, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux 2022 combines bramble, plum and chocolate with a charcuterie note, ample body, firm tannins, fresh acidity and a long savoury finish; alcohol is 13.5%. Château Tour De Yon, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux 2023 presents morello cherry, plum and blackcurrant with tarragon and thyme, plus fine structure, chalky tannins and guiding acidity; alcohol is 14%.1
Bordeaux also supplied 4 wines with 97 points. Château L'Enclos, Pomerol, Bordeaux 2023 was the year’s sole Bordeaux Best in Show and the 4th Pomerol to reach that level. Produced in a vintage that demanded sustained work against summer mildew, it combines Pomerol generosity with restraint, aided by a relatively high Cabernet Franc component and a small addition of Malbec. Cherry and blueberry sit over cedar, tender savoury tannins and fruit-linked acidity, leading to a dry finish suited to medium-term ageing; alcohol is 13.5%. The Platinum-winning Château de Rauzan, Augey Bordeaux 2023 offers flowers, spiced damson, black plum, cedar, tactile tannins, lively acidity and a fruit-marked finish; alcohol is 13.5%. Platinum Château De Rochemorin, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux 2023 layers prune, cassis, damson and dark chocolate over oak and fine graphite-like tannins, with refreshing acidity and a long finish; alcohol is 14%. Platinum Maison Ginestet, Grand Vin, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux 2022 brings black cherry, cassis, damson and cedar together with lavender and violet, focused tannins, energetic acidity, creamy texture and saline length; alcohol is 14.5%.1
Argentina’s Rutini Wines, Apartado Gran Merlot, Uco Valley, Mendoza 2023 earned Gold and 95 points. Bramble fruit, eucalyptus, coffee bean and tobacco aromas meet vanilla oak, silky tannins and redcurrant acidity before a long, smoky finish; alcohol is 13.8%.1
The remaining selections represent 3 countries. New Zealand’s Pask, Merlot, Gimblett Gravels, Hawke's Bay 2021 received Gold and 95 points, showing black cherry, sweet tobacco, flowers and mint chocolate with dusty tannins and leafy acidity; alcohol is 14%. Romania’s Crama De Matei, Patima Merlot, Dealu Mare, Muntenia & Oltenia 2020 also won Gold and 95 points, combining abundant plum and cherry with balsamic lift, a muscular frame, sinewy texture, substantial tannins and a long finish; alcohol is 14.5%. South Africa’s Steenberg, Merlot, Constantia, Cape Town 2022 earned Platinum and 97 points, with cassis, maritime herbs, marked freshness, a youthful compact palate, smooth velvety tannins, vibrant acidity and a savoury, spicy close; alcohol is 14.5%.1
Sources
Written by the Dionysus editors from the sources above.
