The 2003 Meruge is a blend of 20% Touriga Nacional, 30% Touriga Franca, 40% Tinta Roriz and 10% "others," i.e., a field blend, aged in a mixture of new and used French barriques for 12 months. This vintage starts off this issue's vertical. It is ripe, round and a bit oaky, but very young and fresh. Showing beautiful balance, it is in a great place to drink now, adding refinement to go with its good fruit. For this big, warm vintage, it is a relatively subtle wine. It should have plenty of life left, but it is ready to drink, even if there is no urgent rush to do so. The only question is whether the structure will keep supporting the fruit over the longer haul. For the moment, it's fun to drink, easy and fruit-forward.