Shelf Talker

Deep violet in the glass, this wine offers aromas of black cherry, strawberry and black pepper. It is bright on the palate, with soft tannins and flavors of tart cherry, cranberry, juniper berry and black pepper that round off in a zippy finish. Kosher.

Deep garnet in the glass, this wine features aromas of blackberry, cassis and oregano. It fills the mouth with flavors of raspberry, Delicious apple, strawberry and cocoa that are set into a web of firm tannins. The finish has a pleasing burst of espresso bean flavor.

A bouquet of cherry, apple and cranberry primes the taste buds for flavors of blackberry, red plum, butterscotch, mint and coffee. There is a good balance of slightly grippy tannins and bold acidity, wrapping up in a bright, lasting cherry finish. One or two years of aging should mellow the tannins to perfection, so try after 2017.

The 2013 Merlot Reserve Manara Vineyard was aged for 18 months in new French barriques. It comes in at 14.3% alcohol. Rather sedate, this lovely Merlot is all about its understated and restrained demeanor. It is in perfect balance, with a pointed and clean finish, nice texture and a tasty, dry finish. There's nothing fat and sweet here. This is a food wine all the way, but it goes down easy and it has good concentration for the level. 

Offers a perfumed, floral aroma, with nicely sculpted flavors of dark currant, plum tart, pomegranate and mocha. Medium-grained tannins give this backbone. Finishes with dark chocolate, raspberry jam and minty overtones.

The 2006 Merlot Reserve is revisited this issue as part of our retrospective, another wine at or around the ten-year level. This powerhouse--later Reserves seemed to show more approachability--is still tight and powerful, giving the wine a lean, somewhat austere feel to it. That said, it is also showing some complexity now (unlike its Cabernet Reserve sibling, also reviewed), making it seem very much like classic, right bank Bordeaux. Originally, I wasn't so sure about the balance here--the tannins still outpace the concentration of fruit. Still, this is a fine value in an age-worthy wine with some upscale intentions. It has plenty of life left and is easily proving it can age.