2004 Napa Valley Merlot

(15.8% alcohol; includes 12.5% cabernet sauvignon) Bright ruby-red. Subtly complex nose melds blueberry, cassis, tar, licorice, wild spices and minerals. Intense berry flavors are firmed by lively acidity. Not yet especially nuanced but this one boasts a lovely tight core of fruit and appears to be built to age. Finishes firmly tannic, with strong fruit.

(15.7% alcohol) Deep ruby-red. Blackberry, violet and licorice on the nose. Sweet but brooding, with distinctly purple flavors of black fruits, violet and menthol. An edge of acidity gives the wine a penetrating quality, but with strong tannins and elevated alcohol, the finish seems slightly sour today. Merlot in these vineyards rarely requires acidification, notes winemaker Erin Green, who added that the pH of this wine is normally lower than that of the Pahlmeyer red blend (even if it's still a relatively high 3.89 in '04).

The 2004 Merlot (a blend of 87% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon) reveals Pomerol-like aromatics of caramelized red and black fruits, toffee and spice as well as a big, creamy, opulent texture, and a full-bodied mouthfeel with no hard edges. The wine’s saturated ruby/purple color reveals no lightness at the edge. Wonderfully dense, rich, full, and incredibly sexy and long, this beauty is everything a Merlot should be. Enjoy it over the next 6-8 years. Apr 2014, www.robertparker.com, Drink: 2014-2022