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Merlot is soft compared to a young cabernet sauvignon, so blended they compliment each other and possibly allow the cabernet to come to table that much sooner.  If your patience is running short, try some of the nice blended wines.  Young Merlots are also interesting on their own, although I haven't been overly adventurous with them yet.

Buttery is a descriptor for rich creamy character sometimes found in barrel-fermented Chardonnay that has undergone malolactic fermentation, often in conjunction with the oak descriptor.  Vanilla pretty much means New American Oak had something to do with the wine at some point.  Wines that don't have much of an aroma are said to be closed.  Some wines actually can close down for a period of time only to open back up... will have to look into this more.  Buttery, rich tropical Chardonnays that are maybe a few years old or from a warm harvest can tend to lack the acidity needed for good balance and that is a flaw called Flabby.

Chile and Argentina are apparently the only places where much wine is made from old rootstock from before the phylloxera outbreak of the second half of the 19th century.  Might be interesting to seek out some specific bottles?