We were pleasantly surprised with this opulent, well-structured Merlot that draws juice from Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley and Carneros. Ripe berry aromas with dense, rich blackberry and cherry flavors and a touch of vanillin oak. One of the better made Merlots on the market.

Dark red. Aromas of raspberry, cherry, bitter chocolate, smoke, tar and earth. Supple, sweet and ripe, with nicely defined red fruit flavors. Finishes with dusty but essentially sweet tannins.

An authentic tasting, light to meduim-bodied, soft Merlot offering aromas and flavors of cherries, herbs, earth, and berry fruit.

Lean, with a strong toasted oak shade to the tart cherry, currant and herb flavors. Finishes lean, but the tannins are balanced, not drying.

A simple, varietally true merlot, its meaty cherry fruit and round, supple texture make it easy to enjoy.

Mild, clean, fruity and pleasant, the aromas show neither depth nor focus. Perfectly pleasant in the mouth and fairly fruity, this is a useful, drinkable Merlot…

"Smoky oak scents push forward over moderately fruity tones…

Ripe fruit, soft blackberry and plum. A touch tart, some harsh oak. Undertones of vanilla.

Firm in structure, featuring red currant, toasted oak and herb flavors, finishing lean.

Ripe, juicy plum and currant flavors…

A ripe, somewhat fruity and very will-scrubbed wine, this slightly rounded, soft-edged effort is a safe, middle-of-the-road rendition that takes few chances, but fails at nothing. Easy to drink now and perfectly serviceable with dishes ranging from beef to lamb to well-season pork roasts…

Lean and a bit edgy, with crisp tannins and earthy currant, leather and herb notes, turning dry and tannic.

Fairly oaky off the top, the wine's ripe, black cherry fruity aromas take time to open and become accessible. …its frontal impressions in the mouth are also focused on wood spice.

…sweet cream, cinnamon, raspberries.

Firm and crisp, with austere tannins…" "Offers hints of currant and black cherry.

Deep, saturated ruby hue. Interesting, high-toned anise, chocolate and red-fruit aromas show a hearty oak accent. A lush entry leads a rounded, medium-bodied palate with drying tannin and low levels of acidity>

…sweet, soft red berries.

This wine is sourced primarily from Napa and Sonoma counties, giving it a fairly dark appearance with sweet plum, chocolate and American oak aromas.

It reveals tart acidity (too high for my palate), as well as attractive berry, cherry, cola, and herb-like flavors in its light to medium-bodied style. It is a fresh, lively Merlot ...

Soft and easy to drink.

K-J reds tend to be user-friendly, but this one is rather austere, especially for merlot. Its flavors are highly concentrated, in the cassis direction, and the finish is harshly tannic. A few years of cellaring should help.

A little closed on the nose for now but there is good dusty bramble fruit somewhere in there. Fine, gamey palate with savory leather intensity. Classic New World Merlot. Beautiful wood quality and layers of complexity.

Creamy oak sweetness and elements of brush and dried herbs crowd the narrow, cherry-like qualities of the clean aromas here, and, on the palate, the wine is largely determined by its very rich, but very strident oak. Happily, that oak is very good oak, and while the wine's underlying fruit speaks with a hushed voice, it assumes a sufficient role to keep things on the varietal course. A little dry at the finish and never more than lightly tannic, the wine calls for early consumption rather than long-term keeping and will do well with savory roasts in the coming two or three years.

Light varietal herbaceousness is set against a bit of withdrawn fruit in the low-keyed nose, and the flavors follow with ripe, loosely defined fruit and trailing oak. Rounded, low in tannin and nearly soft in feel, the wine depends mightily on its relative youth, and all signs point to an early maturity. Fine for current drinking, it should not be held for long.