2008 Bevan Merlot Alexis's Cuvée Showket Vineyard

The 2008 Merlot Showket Vineyard Alexis’s Cuvee offers a great introduction to how good Merlot can be. Aromas of chocolate, black currants, black cherries and forest floor jump from the glass of this fleshy, opaque ruby/purple-colored Merlot. Deep, chewy and succulent, it is both a hedonistic and intellectual thrill-a-sip. Drink it over the next 10-12 years. Although last year I gave superb reviews to two of Bevan Cellars’ wines, this year’s extensive portfolio was one of the revelations of my tastings. A small artisanal operation in Santa Rosa run by Russell Bevan and his partner, Victoria Descrescenco, Bevan Cellars has assembled a stunning line-up of wines. I think the tasting notes say it all, but I can’t recommend this up-and-coming producer’s wines highly enough. Tel. (707) 235-3062; www.bevancellars.com