California Merlot Struggles

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for the Nov. 30, 2006 issue

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Difficult weather delivers lean wines in 2003, but there are still plenty of '02s available

Tim Fish
Issue: November 30, 2006

California Merlot remains a best-seller in the United States even though it rarely achieves greatness. That dichotomy leads to a lot of grumbling in some quarters, and the 2003 vintage gives Merlot skeptics more support, delivering wines that are lean and ordinary.

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