Two words come to mind when you mention great Australian Merlot. Jim Irivne. Jim's Grand Merlot is the benchmark of complex and elegant Merlot in Australia and his Eden Valley vineyards are the perfect place to produce this iconic wine.

Co-founded by Dan and Margaret Duckhorn in 1976, Duckhorn Vineyards has spent nearly fifty years establishing itself as one of North America’s premier producers of Napa Valley wines. Fundamental to the winery's tradition was the early decision to focus on the production of Merlot. Dan Duckhorn felt that this elegant Bordeaux varietal was underappreciated in North America. "I liked the softness, the seductiveness, the colour, the fact that it went with a lot of different foods; It seemed to me to be a wonderful wine to just enjoy. I became enchanted with Merlot." Crafted from both mountain and valley floor vineyards, this alluring wine embodies the rich diversity of great Napa Valley Merlot. From its velvety tannins and lively acidity to luxurious layers of plum, candied black cherry, red liquorice and sweet baking spices, this gracefully structured Merlot glides to a lush, lingering finish. Matured for 15 months in 100% French oak barrels, of which 40% were new.

Petaluma Merlot is medium body with a brick red colour, the superbly perfumed bouquet is a tangle of marzipan, spice, plum and confectionery and is the best nose of the early Petalumas. On the palate, flavours of cherry, plum and spice emerge, with very good depth and complexity.

L’Epiphanie de Saint-Estèphe comes from a very fine estate in Bordeaux’s legendary St-Estèphe appellation in the northernmost part of the Médoc – one of only two Second Growths. (There are actually no First Growths in St-Estèphe, so this is pretty much top of the tree.) First Growth Château Lafite is just across a stream to the south, which gives you an idea of the hallowed terroir we’re talking about. We can’t reveal which estate this wine comes from, but we can tell you that two of its Grand Vins from the legendary 2009 & 2010 vintages were rated a perfect 100 points by the great Robert Parker – wines that sell for nearly $200 per bottle! It's compellingly aromatic – a seductive scent of violets and ripe red fruit. The luscious palate delivers concentrated cassis and plum, with touches of mineral and cherry on the long, sensuous, minerally, finish. It's a sublime example of the lavish St Estephes from this great estate, silky smooth, velvety, complex and long.

A Gold, 92pt beauty. Château La Clarière is blessed with 50 different vineyard plots, all ideally situated on the superb limestone plateau from where both Saint-Emilion and Castillon’s finest wines hail. However, the grapes from the Enclos single vineyard, literally five metres from Saint-Emilion’s priciest Grands Crus Classés, have always been kept separate. It’s a vineyard surrounded by hedgerows, shrubs and dotted with trees – its most biodiverse; farmed organically too. All Merlot, carefully fermented on the estate, with regular plunge down and a year’s ageing in part new and part seasoned French oak barrels, it’s a very fine, velvety claret. Open early and preferably decant. It will make a very handsome partner to roast red meats or a cheeseboard.

Warramunda Estate's Merlot 2021 using fruit from vines planted in 2015 from their Coldstream Vineyard is, as Philip Rich writes in The Halliday Wine Companion: "An impressive merlot from such young vines, this opens with aromas of damson plum, blackcurrants, lifted florals and just a hint of cedar. Medium bodied with persistent, even tannins, this elegant wine can be enjoyed now and over the next five to seven years at least. 93pts.” Sam Kim Wine Orbit loves its "…beautifully rounded palate offering fine texture and grainy tannins.93pts" and Jeni Port, WinePilot agrees and encourages people to try it: "“Yes, it’s Merlot. Yes, it’s flying solo without a safety net (aka Cabernet). Try and cast the usual Australian drinker concerns about the grape aside and give it a go. The winemaker clearly has confidence, you should, too. You won’t be disappointed. It’s a beaut, medium in body with plenty of elegance and aromatic energy. Typical Yarra Valley plushness here brings a lovely depth of flavour highlighting rose, raspberry, black cherry, gentle vanillin oak spice with a touch of leafiness. Beautifully composed with fine tannins in total unison. Love the sprig of dried herbs, pepper and anise on the finish that keeps things rolling on. 93pts” The Magdziarz family bought Warramunda in 2027 and have built themselves a solid reputation using biodynamic viticulture – with a deep respect for the surrounding landscape and a vision for terroir-driven wines, now made by daughter Olivia Zak-Magdziarz.

Savour a silky, ripe and utterly charming, fine-dining Saint-Emilion Grand Cru. Surrounded by extensive parkland blessed with century-old trees, Château Montlabert is a grand, imposing, 18th-century estate. It lies within the lieu-dit Grace Dieu that lends the property its name. Its vineyards comprise 13 hectares, all in one block, planted on deep sandy, gravelly soils with deep-lying clay to help retain moisture in the drier years. Their wine is a charming, silky red made mostly, as you’d expect, from Merlot, with a little of both Cabernets to lend cassis notes to the deep plum flavour. 14 months in French oak barrels, half of those new, lend layers of complexity and subtle oak nuances. Let the wine breathe for an hour or two before serving with boeuf bourguignon, confit de canard or a wild mushroom risotto.

When it comes to Australian Merlot, Katnook is among the very best. Lovely plum dark berry and cedary cigar box characters slip seamlessly into a finish that seems everlasting. Aged for 22 months in French oak, the swathes of blackcurrant are a delight to the senses.