The 2004 Coleccion Merlot (100%) spent 10 months in French oak. Purple-colored, it possesses a scorched earth, pencil lead, black currant nose very much like a top-level Pomerol (at a fraction of the price). The wine has a supple texture, medium-body, layers of flavor and enough ripe tannin to allow this wine to evolve for several years. This is the type of wine that could restore Merlot’s good name.Importer: Andres Arribas, Wine Associates Inc., Whitehouse Station, NJ; tel. (908) 534-8946