Michel Rolland consults on this extraordinary Merlot, part of Allen Shoup’s Long Shadows project. Dark, dense, supremely concentrated with a silky, smoky, voluptuous mouthfeel, Pedestal is beautifully ripened, nuanced and complete. Lovely notes of bacon and smoked meats permeate the thick, juicy fruit. Still tight and young, this is a Merlot to savor, and to save. ——P.G.(6/1/2006)—— 93