David “Merf” Merfeld has stood by Merlot’s side.

A varietal that has been dismissed, doubted and even ridiculed. The Washington winemaker has spent his career proving the grape belongs at the table with his work at Northstar in Washington.

He was the public defender Merlot needed. Once overplanted and stripped of character during the late ’80s and ’90s, Merlot’s image suffered further after a single line in a 2004 Academy Award nominated film blasted the mediocrity to which many bottlings of it had slipped. But Merf never lost faith.

“Merlot’s subtle and nuanced, it doesn’t hit you over the head,” Merfeld said. “I built my career on it. I love Cab, but Merlot pairs with a wider variety of food and performs incredibly well in Washington.”

The Northstar Columbia Valley Merlot 2022 ($60) and its concentrated blackberry and plum flavors meet cedar and dark chocolate accents are a showcase for the varietal. Its plush, velvety texture is framed by firm structure, what Merfeld calls “the iron fist in the velvet glove,” a style that shows why Washington may be the grape’s spiritual home.

The Columbia Valley provides the foundation: structure, acidity and both red and black fruit. Vineyards like Four Feathers, with its north-facing slopes, help preserve freshness even in warm vintages.

A former beer brewer, Merfeld brings a pragmatic but experimental touch to his winemaking. Grapes are hand-harvested, whole clusters are carefully sorted and whole berry fermentation adds layers of texture. The wine spends 18 months in French oak, with new barrels capped at about one-third to enhance, rather than mask, the fruit.

“Beer is science, wine is farming,” he said. “There’s more forgiveness in wine, but both demand precision. My background helps me troubleshoot and innovate.”

Merf believes Merlot’s struggles ultimately forced Washington to double down on quality. Plantings shrank to 5,000–8,000 acres, but only in prime vineyard sites. The result, he argues, is a variety that consistently overdelivers.

“Consumers don’t want big, tannic wines,” Merfeld said. “They want balance and drinkability. They want something they can enjoy now.”

Washington Merlot, Merf insists, can stand with the best in the world.

“I’ve done blind tastings against Bordeaux and Chile, and I know we can compete,” Merfeld said. “We’re farmers. We’re storytellers. And Merlot deserves a better story.”

For Merf, that’s a story that’s still being written.

NEWS & NOTES

Alma Rosa Winery winemaker Samra Morris has been named one of five nominees for Wine Enthusiast’s 2025 Winemaker of the Year award.

A native of Bosnia and the first Bosnian-American winemaker in California, Morris joined Alma Rosa in 2019. She’s deftly crafted spectacular wines from the Sta. Rita Hills winery. I’ve been fortunate enough to taste with her in person several times, and year-after-year, her wines are a benchmark for the expressive nature of the region.