The problem is in California and Italy, where the merlot craze has reached new heights-and resulted in new lows. The bottom line is that merlot is being planted in all sorts of places where it's unlikely ever to thrive. In general, I think not. In the first place, the soil isn't right, and in the second, the vines are too young. Great wines come from old vines.
Young vines spell weedy wines.
It doesn't take a genius to figure any of this out. Beringer, in particular, turns out an excellent merlot from its Howell Mountain vineyards. The 1995 is round and ripe, chocolatey and chewy. And hollow to the core. In Italy, the situation is, if anything, worse.