Sometimes it seems as though Merlot is the Rodney Dangerfield of Washington wine: "it can't get no respect." The variety looks like it is being eclipsed by Syrah and Rhone-style reds. But I do believe Washington Merlot deserves more respect than it gets. A couple of decades ago, Washington Merlot was a "hot" commodity, fueled by the Leonetti phenomenon. Perhaps the cycle may turn full circle in the future.

A week ago, Brian Rudin (Cadaretta/Buried Cane) and I put on a Merlot tasting at our house in Walla Walla. We made the blind tasting simple: guess if each wine was Old World or New World and then where it came from. No taster got more than three out of eight right. I correctly guessed that two of them were Washington Merlots and one French (but it was from Blaye, not Pomerol as I guessed). Two winemakers did not recognize their own wines. One of the two surprises was a fruity, uncomplex Merlot that some tasters (myself included) thought came from the south of France. It turned out to be a Napa Valley Merlot which was not worth its $58 price tag. The other surprise was a 1999 (from a long, cool growing season) Tamarack Cellars which, while showing signs of age, was holding up well. A younger (2006) Merlot from Red Mountain was slightly "cooked" and drying up and was mistaken for a '98 or '99. The explanation there is that it was from a warm vintage at a typically hot climate AVA. (For pictures of this tasting, go to the Review of Washington Wines Facebook page.)

What ths tasting seems to illustrate is that:

1) Merlot is a fickle grape and, while it has identifiable varietal characteristics (suppleness, minerality) and a sense of terroir in certain areas (e.g. Washington State, Bordeaux's Right Bank), it becomes an amorphous variety elsewhere (such as Napa).

2. Merlot grows better in moderate climatic conditions. It, for instance, does not do well in hot AVAs in warm years, as evidenced by the one from Red Mountain. Likewise, in the Napa Valley, Merlot is considered to do better in the cooler Carneros district than in the Valley benchland.

That said, there are exemplary examples of Washington Merlot that can command high respect. My two favorites of the tasting were the 2007 Tero Estates "Herb's Block" from the Windrow Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley and the 2007 Cadaretta, a multi-vineyard bottling. They easily outshone the 2005 Chateau La Croix de Gay from Pomerol.

Here is a selection of exceptional Washington Merlots from reviews in past issues of the Review of Washington Wines.

2007 Tulpen Cellars, Columbia Valley - 18.5/20 points - March 2011 issue

We had this with dinner at the South Fork Grill in Walla Walla a week ago, and it was delicious.

2007 Nota Bene: Cellars, Columbia Valley, Connor Lee Vineyard - 18.5/20 points - April

2008 Fidelitas Cellars, Horse Heaven Hills - 19/20 points - July

2008 Otis Kenyon, Walla Walla Valley - 18.5/20 points - July

2007 Northstar, Columbia Valley - 19/20 points - July

2007 Northstar, Walla Walla Valley - 19.5/20 points - July

Northstar has positioned itself with Merlot as its "signature" wine. David "Merf" Merfeld is doing a great job with it.

2008 Long Shadows "Pedestal" Red, Columbia Valley (81% Merlot) - 19/20 points - August

2008 Pepper Bridge, Walla Walla Valley - 19/20 points - August

Next week: When will Washington Whites get Respect?