Very good and a panel favorite. Earth, wheat, blackberry, plum, cherry, toast, licorice and spice on nose and palate; ripe flavors; velvety tannins; long finish; a big wine.

Closing in on four years of age, this dense and complex wine hasn't come together yet. The tight structure seems to absorb all of its supple black raspberry and cherry fruit, giving the impression of richness and leanness at once. Give it time to mature and the tension between the fruit and structure should bellow into a satisfying and compelling whole.

A big ol’ Merlot that works This is a big'ol Merlot and usually at 14.7% alcohol that’s all you get in the nose, alcohol. But not here. Instead of hot hot heat we get black currant and cracked black pepper (maybe a little cardamom) along with blueberries and vanilla. The wine is rich and savory, coating the palate. With a good acidity, it tamps down that alcohol to expose the fat, round character of the wine. It’s a big one, but a good one. Rating - B+.

Review of Matanzas Journey Red Blend & Chardonnay This Merlot-based red Bordeaux blend is barrel aged for 20 months. The Merlot was sourced from two blocks of the Jackson Park vineyard, planted with the Petrus clone. Very rich and elegant.

A beautiful American full bodied Merlot This wine is great. Merlot is really more about mouthfeel than it is about complex aromas because the variety has little to give on that front. So if you can get the structure right those, minimal aromas will be just right too; like in this wine. Soft, plush and comfy on the palate, this wine sings with good acidity and balance. The alcohol is high but you would never know it. It gets everything right down to the smooth blueberry and vanilla tinge in the background. No need for a big meal, this wine is all about cheese plates and conversation. If you want to pair with food, stick to lean meats. Rating -A.

Matanzas Creek Winery was founded in 1977 and revitalized the viticulture tradition of Sonoma County’s Bennett Valley. Visit the winery just east of Santa Rosa for a stroll and a sip, and maybe a game of bocce. The 2013 Merlot offers aromas and flavors of red fruits and dried herbs mingling with hints of cedar and spice.

This wine is mostly merlot (98%) blended with a very small amount of cabernet sauvignon (2%). The fruit is sourced from vineyard sites in three appellations in Sonoma County - Alexander Valley, Bennett Valley and Knights Valley. The lots were each fermented and aged separately. The wine was aged for 17 months (both separately and then blended) in a combination of French and American oak barrels. It comes in at 14.5% ABV. The wine showed a dark ruby almost opaque color. Blackberry, cassis, mocha, vanilla, raspberry and oak all arrived on the nose. Blackberry, cassis, cherry cola, mocha, licorice, oak and mossy earth followed on a palate dominated by dark berry fruit. The wine exhibited good structure and length, along with well-integrated tannins. This wine would pair well with a marinated and grilled flank steak.

It’s young and its true character is zipped up tight, but if you let it sit in the glass to soak up oxygen it starts to open up and give a glimpse of its sleek, elegant styling. It offers notes of blackberry jam, cherry, plum and sage. Tannins have mild grip and acidity is firm. Grapes come from three diverse appellations in Sonoma County: Alexander Valley, Bennett Valley and Knights Valley. All blocs of grapes were fermented and aged 15 months individually before blending, then the final wine was returned to French oak for two more months before bottling. That’s handcrafting.

This seamless merlot is tasty, its black fruit coupled with herbs and spice. It’s a tasty melding of flavors, but its texture is what reels you in. Well crafted.

Dedicated to cool-climate merlot, this producer continues to make a steady, dependable merlot that is reasonably priced for the complexity it delivers. It bursts with cherry and plum flavors with intriguing hints of cocoa and sage.

This is a very well put together merlot with an intense ripe cherry and plum nose. In the mouth very soft tannins and mouth filling plum, cherry and spicy cinnamon flavors dominate. Delicious by itself or with red meat dishes.

Other selection: the 2012 Matanzas Creek Jackson Park Vineyard Merlot, $60, is an age-worthy beauty from the terraced hillside estate vineyard across the road from the winery. It’s loaded with dark berry, plum and bittersweet chocolate flavors with a hint of tobacco and brown spices. Grapes are the Petrus clone.

Intense aromas of flowers and black raspberries, flavors of dark chocolate, spices and herbs, long, smooth finish.

Matanzas Creek Jackson Park Merlot 2012 is an elegant red with cocoa, blueberry and grippy in tannins. Made from the Petrus clone. Side-by-side, the Jackson Park 2013 ($60) is a little meatier and more tannic. It’s medium bodied, darker in the glass and has flavors of cracked pepper, fresh plum and tomato leaf on the finish.

This is Merlot with a big engine under the hood — bold aromas, flavors that roar, plenty of structure and body. It opens with oak-infused aromas of cherry, raspberry, plum and sage. Tannins are round and supple, acidity is firm. It’s a wine with body and power that is still evolving. It’s produced off vineyards in Bennett Valley, Alexander Valley and Knights Valley.

2012 Matanzas Creek Winery Merlot, Sonoma County (97.7 percent merlot, 2.3 percent cabernet sauvignon): aromas and flavors of red raspberries, mocha and herbs, smooth tannins, long finish.

Very rich dark cherry notes with threads of earth and spices. Elegant with a refreshing mineral aspect on the finish.

The 2012 Matanzas Creek from Sonoma County had plum, cherry and a hint of incense on the nose, plus some savory spice.

This venerable wine producer can be counted on to make a consistently solid merlot, which is not something many California winemakers can declare. The producer's Jackson Park Vineyard merlot ($60) shows the depth and character the producer can get from this grape, but the Sonoma County merlot is more affordable. Classic cherry and plum flavors with a dash of chocolate.

Merlot is often vegetal and pruney for our tastes, but this terrific version from Sonoma County reminds you of how good merlot can be. Loaded with rich fresh cherry and plum flavors, it has good character and balance. Very aromatic with black cherry and herbal notes. For what you get, it's a good price.

What makes the Journey a standout is this blend’s striking red raspberry note coupled with its supple texture. It’s weighted to red fruit, with a high-toned note of cranberry. Balanced. This is absolutely worth the price for those with the disposable income. 4½ stars.

Matanzas Creek Journey 2012 is dominated by dark chocolate flavors. It's framed nicely in the background by dark fruit flavors with tannins that grab on the finish.

Review of Matanzas Journey Red Blend & Chardonnay This is a rich and decadent red Bordeaux blend with a majority of Merlot. Flavors are intense with blackberry, black currant, and spice. It offers exotic aromas of black fig, black cherry, and chocolate. Incredible structure and a long length of finish. The wine has velvet tannin and high acidity, as well as complexity and a long length of finish. Even at nine years of age the wine is fresh and vibrant.

Matanzas Creek Knight’s Valley Merlot 2012 is bigger, riper and fuller bodied than the Jackson Park. Just 20 miles separates the two vineyards, but Knight’s valley has more red fruit than blue. It’s got chewy tannins and will get more impressive over the next 10 years.

This Merlot holds estate fruit as well as sourced grapes from several sites, creating a well-blended wine with tiny percentages of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Aged in both French and American oak, the wine is balanced in cranberry and blackberry, with an herbaceous underbelly.