Nothing mediocre about this Merlot

I was expecting not to like Kendall-Jackson's Merlot.

Kendall-Jackson, one of California's largest wineries, is plagued by a lingering prejudice -- even among those of us who are supposed to be objective -- that big wineries make ordinary, not distinctive, wine. And merlot's popularity has been its worst enemy. Asking for a glass of merlot in a restaurant these days is synonymous with asking for a mediocre glass of red wine. As wineries clamor aboard the merlot money train, they cut corners and quality plummets.

I tasted Kendall-Jackson's 2001 Vintner's Reserve Merlot (about $20, but frequently discounted) with about 20 other Merlots from around the world, ranging in price from $8 to $50 a bottle. It was by no means a comprehensive tasting, but rather a glimpse of what's available in the market. To my surprise, Kendall-Jackson's was near the top. The only one I liked better was Banfi's 2001 Merlot, Mandrielle (about $40), from Tuscany, not a traditional place for that grape.

Although everyone associates cabernet sauvignon with Bordeaux, merlot is that region's most widely planted grape. In Bordeaux, winemakers usually blend it with cabernet to round out the hard edges of that grape and to add complexity. Californian winemakers, like their counterparts in Bordeaux, blend merlot with cabernet, but they also make a lot of wine primarily from merlot because its rounder, fleshier character is appealing to the American palate.

Kendall-Jackson makes small quantities of terrific wines from individual vineyards, under their Highland Estates label, that highlight the unique features of the particular site. But they take a different approach for the wines in their Vintner's Reserve line by blending wines made from grapes grown over a wide area in several premium grape-growing counties, Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino. This technique allows them to even out the vagaries of nature and to produce large quantities, more than 250,000 cases annually, of consistently good wines.

A polished wine, Kendall-Jackson's 2001 Vintner's Reserve Merlot is unusually complex for California merlot, which all too often are one-dimensional and jammy. Its ripe plum-like flavors intermingled with earthy spiciness make it an excellent choice for a holiday roast.

Kendall-Jackson, Vintner's Reserve Merlot, 2001. Distributed by Carolina Wine & Spirits, 781-278-2000 and M. S. Walker, 800-238-0607.