The merlot NR is a Cépage tank black, used traditionally in the Bordelais, in Italy and Suisse. It was also well established in California.
Origin and distribution
It belongs to the family of the Carmenet S (it is thus a cousin of the Cabernet S and Carménère). It could come from the area of Libourne where it is quoted for the first time as a " merlau". Its name could come from the Merle (in Patois, the merlot is a small blackbird) thanks to its black color like the blackbirds, or from the taste of the latter for the grape.It is formally identified like type of vine only at the 18th century. It appears in 1789 in the collection of the Jardin of Luxembourg.
Its sensitivity with respect to the Run-out in fact a type of vine of second category. It is the Phylloxéra which will cause its rise. The grafting of the Malbec NR gives a large production of grapes, aqueous and very sensitive to the rot. It is thus the merlot NR which will succeed to him to bring roundness, smoothness and complexity with the Cabernet-sauvignon NR. The selection clonale will improve its regularity of production in the Sixties. It then becomes a type of vine easy to cultivate and vinify, giving a wine complex, easy to drink and which does not require long ageing, even if it is preserved a long time.
It is cultivated today in France and California, but also elsewhere in the world (Italy, Australia, Chile, Bulgaria, Moldavie).
In France it is especially present in the Of Bordeaux one, South-west in AOC and in the Languedoc-Roussillon out of local wine. It is the almost exclusive type of vine of the AOC Pomerol, and is dominating in the AOC Saint-Émilion.
The surface planted in the French vineyard is today higher than 100.000 ha, including approximately 68.000 ha in the Of Bordeaux one and South-west and 25.000 ha in Languedoc-Roussillon, which makes of it type of vine more cultivated in France (source: agricultural census 2000).
In Swiss, it is especially present at the Tessin.
In Italy, it is primarily in Toscane and Venezia that it opens out. It is authorized in names DOC. Alto Adige, Aprilia, Assisi, Bagnoli di Sopra, Bolgheri, Breganze, Capriano del Colle, Carso, Castelli Romani, Circeo, Colli Altotiberini, Colli Berici, Colli Bolognesi, Colli del Trasimeno, Colli dell' Etruria Centrale, Colli di Conegliano, Colli di Faenza, Colli di Scandiano E di Canossa, Colli Etruschi Viterbesi, Colli Morenici Mantovani del Garda, Colli Orientali del Friuli, Hill Lucchesi, Collio Goriziano, Contea di Sclafani, Contessa Entellina, Controguerra, Untied Nivolelli, Franciacorta, Friuli Annia, Friuli Aquileia, Friuli Grave, Friuli Isonzo, Friuli Latisana, Garda, Garda Colli Mantovani, Lago di Corbara, Lison Pramaggiore, Menfi, Montello E Colli Asolani, Vini del Piave, Pomino, Rosso Orvietano, Sant' Antimo, Sciacca, Ground di Franciacorta, Trentino, Valcalepio and Valdichiana.
Ampelographic characteristics
- Budding: cottony white with red edging.
- adult Sheet: 5 lobes, wedge-shaped, average, green dark, bullée, deeply lobed, right teeth, petiolar sine out of U.
Farming and technological aptitudes
It is of second time, two weeks and half after the Chasselas B. It is vigorous and emits the greedy ones on wood. The production is average with high, and requires to be moderate by a polishing the first years. It has a falling down port which requires a good training.It is well adapted to the grounds argillaceous or argilo-limestones, while avoiding the too fertile grounds (excess of output) or muddy (important run-out). In general, it must be planted in ground not too rich on a door grafts not very vigorous.
It is sensitive to the deficiency in Potassium, and fairly to the Chlorose. It is sensitive to the late frosts (precocity of débourrement) but especially to the dryness (required of a ground without deficiency hydrous or irrigated).
It is sensitive to the Mildiou, the Black-rot and the rot of the bunch. It exteriorizes less the symptoms of diseases of wood (ESCA, Eutypiose, gilded Flavescence) that the cabernet.
Oenological aptitudes
Type of vine sails very about it, it owes its success with a whole of astonishing qualities:- Precocity: it is an advantage for maturity at the time of the years with rainy autumn.
- regular Production, except year with exceptional run-out.
- Facilitated culture: it supports varied grounds or densities from 3500 to 10000 stocks per ha.
- Facilitated wine making: not very sensitive to oxidation, aptitude for the breeding out of tank or barrel.
- Facilitated adaptation: it gives good wines everywhere where it is planted. Even in not very wine zone, one can draw a honourable product from it.
- It has well characterized flavors which make it recognize uninitiated persons. Its name with the notoriety of a mark, reason of its type of vine wine success. Even if it is preserved well, it can be drunk quickly.
- It makes it possible to produce wines of thirst, fruity, fine and coloured or full, structured and complex wines of guard.
- It can be used to only produce a type of vine wine or in assembly with Cabernet-sauvignon or frank Cabernet, it in general gives full and complex wines, characteristic of Of Bordeaux.
Synonyms
The merlot is known under the names bégney, bigney, bigney red, crabutet, langon, black Medoc, merlau, blackbird small, merlô, merlot black, merlott, odzalesi, small Blackbird, seedling of the Medoc, Médoc seedling, Saint-Macaire, sows of Canau, sows Dou Flube, sémillon Rouge, semilhoun red, vitraille.
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