Black cherry and black pepper aromas and flavors, soft tannins.

This is a good, casual merlot with aromas and flavors of black cherry, plum, herbs and spice. Nice texture. Good length.

It demonstrated the easygoing expression that is fairly common for this variety. Classic California merlot with black cherry, and a bit of oak spice in the nose and nice cherry and berry flavors in the mouth. Just a nice, drinkable California merlot.

Deep into the tasting, we finally had a second wine that rated Very Good. Fresh, clean and crisp, with good balance, good acidity, ample fruit and earth. This turned out to be Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve 2005.

Sourced from key North Coast vineyards, this Merlot is K-J taken up some notches: It has plenty of complexity, some ability to age, and richness. The nose is intense berries, black plums, anise, nutmeg and mocha. The palate has subtle tannins and good acidity to balance the fruit. It's aged in mostly French oak for eight months and is primarily made from Sonoma County fruit. Some wine know-it-alls pooh-pooh Merlot. Forget it!

A good merlot, rich and elegant. Aromas and flavors of black plum, toast and spice. Medium-bodied. Balanced.

Best of tasting. Dark and earthy, quite ripe yet restrained with blackberry fruit. Good structure, with mouthcoating chocolate and cinnamon and a nicely dry finish. Could age. We like the 2005 just as much.

If you love Merlot, this wine is for you. If you don't like Merlot, this wine is for you, too. It has the roundness and supple tannins that made Merlot the wine darling of the 1990s, yet it's so solidly structured, and with none of the herbaceous flavors and watery texture often seen in California Merlots made from grapes grown in the wrong places.

Fully loaded and fully flavored with an intense concentration of peppery black spice layered over an ever-present frame of toasty oak. Ripe cherries and plum get a measured dusting of mocha and the firm tannins persist through the finish. While approachable now, cellaring should soften and integrate each component for a complex and multi-layered experience.

Given Kendall-Jackson's track record and popularity it's no surprise that their ever-expanding line of dependably delicious wines extends to multi-appellation estates, like this Jackson Estate, which encompasses vineyards in Sonoma (79%) and Napa (21%). This is a complex Merlot, redolent of black fruit and soft velvety tannins, finishing with toasty oak.

The 2004 Merlot is, as expected, softer but still full-flavored.

Perhaps the most seductive of the wines in this collection is the 2004 Taylor Peak Merlot which comes from the cool Bennett Valley. The wine manifests an earthy amalgam of sassafras spice and dark chocolate wrapped in velvety tannins - quite a departure from most pure Merlot, which can sometimes prove overly fruity and lacking in structure. This special character derives from the vines, which are made from Pétrus clones brought from France by Vérité winemaker Pierre Seillan - legally, the idealist Jackson reminds us on a practical note.

Soft and smooth, with a hint of cocoa that underscores the ripe fruit, this Merlot also imparts a suggestion of toasted bread

Grand Reserve Merlot comes primarily from Kendall-Jackson's premium hillside vineyards in Sonoma. The red berry fruit is lush and layered, with a finishing sheen of vanilla from aging in new oak barrels. Medium in body, it will match well with poultry and salmon but has sufficient structure to handle red meat.

hints quietly at varietal cherries and a splash of oaky spice.

Intriguing flavors of licorice, dark chocolate and coffee make the wine interesting; bright, rich flavors of red and dark berries practically beg for red meat or creamy cheeses.

At this price, VR is treading into high-priced waters, but quality is keeping up. The wine is rich and lush, with a fine balance of dusty tannins, crisp acids, and direct blackberry, coffee and herb flavors.

17th Annual Restaurant Wine Poll