2009 Amuse Bouche Red

The 2009 Amuse Bouche is laced with freshly cut flowers, sweet spices and expressive red berries. Today, I find the 2009 beautifully expressive, with gorgeous aromatics, layers of fruit and lovely overall balance. This is a decidedly feminine, refined style of California Merlot, but it all works nicely. Layers of fruit continue to blossom through to the structured, powerful finish. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019. Proprietor John Schwartz believes California is capable of making Merlots that can stand toe to toe with the best of France, so he is setting out to prove that point with the help of winemaker Heidi Barrett. Amuse Bouche is the main label. Vin Perdu is the second wine of Amuse Bouche, but the blend varies considerably from year to year, which naturally results in wines that are quite different from each other across several vintages. Tel. (707) 251-9300; www.amusebouchewine.com

The 2009 Merlot includes a dash of Cabernet Franc. Dark red berries, flowers, spices, new leather and licorice are some of the notes that flesh out on the mid-palate. Sweet, silky tannins frame the finish. This pretty, generous wine is best suited to drinking over the next few years.