Composed of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, the 2015 Dalem spent 18 months in part new and part one-year-old oak barrels. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it leaps from the glass with notions of chocolate-covered cherries, crushed blackberries and plum preserves with a cedar and Marmite toast undercurrent plus a touch of beef drippings. Full-bodied and packed to the gills with youthful, crunchy black fruits, it has a firm frame and finishes a little woody at this youthful stage, but it should emerge singing in 2-3 years.