Carneros Merlot Reviews

Elegant and balanced, with toasted red currant aromas and lively cherry, tomato leaf and spice flavors that finish soft, showing ripe tannins. Drink now through 2017. 1,981 cases made. —T.F.

Elegant and balanced, with toasted red currant aromas and lively cherry, tomato leaf and spice flavors that finish soft, showing ripe tannins. Drink now through 2017. 1,981 cases made. —T.F.

Juicy blueberry and raspberry flavors make this a lean, simple red to drink this summer, whether as an aperitif or with a burger. (1,981 cases)

Supple and ripely flavored, this is a fairly rich Merlot, with evident oak character and a long finish. It tastes of blackberry, cassis, toast, and spicy oak. Excellent value.

This is an elegant and supple red, exhibiting aromas of black raspberry and spice that follow through to ripe, layered cherry and toasty caramel flavors. Drink now through 2017.

A distinguished Merlot, dark, dry and brooding. Complex, too, with deep flavors of blueberry, mushroom, dark chocolate and anise. The tannins are fairly fierce despite the softness, but the wine doesn’t seem like a longterm ager, so give it a decant before drinking over the next few years.