Made with the addition of 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc and 4% Malbec, the 2018 Merlot is robust and juicy in the glass, offering up aromas of dusty plum, baked earth and elegant oak spices. Medium to full-bodied and with 14.9% alcohol, the wine displays a firm mouthfeel with juicy and dusty dark-berried flavors, with gripping tannins across the mid-palate. The wine concludes with a ripe, yet firm tannic edge on the persistent, lingering finish with a sensation of elevated alcohol in the esophagus. The wine rested for 22 months in 65% new French oak. Just over 3,500 bottles were filled.