One of the finest Merlots being made in Napa is the 2007 Merlot (87% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon). It has evolved gorgeously since tasted from barrel last year. This sumptuous wine offers beautiful melted chocolate, cocoa, and espresso notes intermixed with black cherry, plum, fig, and blackberry fruit. This opulent, full-bodied, sexy, prodigious California Merlot should give Kapcsandy’s Roberta’s Reserve a run for its money over the next 15-20 years. One of California’s super-star producers, Pahlmeyer’s wines have a fabulous track record of aging well. This estate was one of Helen Turley’s first clients, and since she departed one of her assistants, Erin Green, has continued to turn out sumptuous reds as well as exquisite Chardonnays. The 2007 reds appear to be the finest Pahlmeyer has produced in a decade ... and that includes some top-flight wines.Tel. (707) 255-2321; Fax (707) 255-6786

Medium to deep garnet in color with a touch of purple, the 2007 Merlot reveals quite an earthy nose of damp soil, fungi, mossy bark and fallen leaves over a core of sautéed herbs, stewed plums and dried mulberries. The full-bodied palate offers mouth-filling black fruit preserves laced with herbal accents and with a soft texture, finishing with great freshness.