An expressive version of the variety, this includes tiny percentages of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Leathery plum and blueberry are the standouts in terms of aromas and flavors, with a soft, spicy streak that lifts the experience, finishing in a dusting of cocoa powder.

This Merlot is dry, full-bodied and delicious in fruit and oak. Black cherries, currants, mocha, plums, vanilla and fragrant sandalwood all come together to provide a complex drink that’s firm in tannins and fancy in the finish. Drink now.

Smooth and ripe with lush flavors of plum and spice; silky and nicely structured with soft herbs and notes of mocha; long and balanced.

Lovely rich and balanced; generous and deep with blueberry, plum and soft spice; vanilla oak and lush texture; long and smooth; charming.

Zesty and polished, with red currant aromas and well-structured dark cherry, caramel and herb flavors, finishing with ripe tannins.

Smooth and lush with juicy plum and lovely ripe flavors; supple, balanced and classic; showing lots of lift, nerve and nicely integrated fruit; long and generous.

This is a lovely, fully resolved Merlot. It shows a classy elegance that belies the price. Fully drinkable now, it's softly tannic and rich in cherry, red currant, licorice and mocha flavors that finish dry and spicy.

A fine, complex Merlot, appealing for its array of cherry, smoked meat, balsam, soy and pepper flavors. Shows lots of class and finesse for the price. Easy to find...

This merlot overdelivers: The overall impression is cool and austere, a wine with some class, the fruit maintaining firmness and tension the way a plump cherry is held within its ripe skin. Decant it to let the juicy black cherry flavors emerge from behind the caramel sweetness of oak.

Very rich, ripe and dry, a Merlot with a drop of Cabernet that needs a year or two to resolve. It's fat and fleshy in cherries, violets, red currants and cola, with a dusting of cocoa, pepper and cinnamon. The tannins are ample, but very finely ground.

Smooth and ripe with lovely plum, raspberry and spice; fresh, generous and balanced with a long pure finish.

This is a tremendously rich Merlot, made from top Sonoma vineyards. Dry and tannic, it has potent flavors of cherries, blackberries, currants and cedar. Could develop in the bottle through 2012 with careful cellaring.

With 88 percent French oak and 33 percent of that new, the GR Merlot is evolving into a pretty serious red wine. It's still true to the GR style, glossy but with some subtleties creeping in the mid-palate and back end. Look for a ripe fruit nose flecked with cedar and dried herbs. The flavours are a spicy mix of plums, coffee and tobacco, with a dusting of minerality and floral notes. A rich, glossy style, with some tannin yet to shed.

The seductive 2006 Merlot Taylor Peak exhibits attractive coffee bean, berry fruit, and smoky characteristics. Made from 100% estate grown fruit, and aged 17 months in 100% French oak, it is all that a Merlot should be.

A brilliant example of 100% estate-grown Merlot, the 2005 Taylor Peak Merlot from the high-elevation (1,200-1,400 ft.) Bennett Valley vineyards of Jess Jackson's Jackson Park Vineyard, exhibits a fabulous nose of red and blue fruits intermixed with crushed rocks, strawberry jam, and some subtle oak. The wine is full-bodied, opulent, rich, but also structured in the finish. This a Merlot that is going to be a keeper. Give it another two or so years of bottle age and drink it over the following 15+.

Kendall-Jackson's Grand Reserve line of wines, a level above its basic Vintner's Reserve, come exclusively from grapes grown in KJ vineyards as opposed to purchased grapes. Considerably classier than its very good 2004 Vintner's Reserve Merlot, it has more going on in it all around, from more engaging aromatics, layers of flavors and a haunting finish. The oak aging enhances rather than overwhelms. Beautifully balanced, its bright cherry acidity enlivens the wine. Open it side-by-side with the 2004 Vintner's Reserve and decide for yourself whether its worthy of the extra money.

The 2004 Highland Estates Merlot Taylor Peak is 100% Merlot aged 15 months in French oak. Sadly, only 1,500 cases are produced of this winner. Aromas of white chocolate, black cherries, and mountain berries are followed by medium to full-bodied flavors as well as a striking underlying minerality that comes from the rocky soils of this high elevation vineyard. This gorgeous Merlot has a European-like delicacy combined with the richness and power of California. Drink it over the next 10-15 years.

An extended cold soak prior to fermentation continues to enhance the round, supple nature of this merlot with its spicy black fruit nose and cedar-y, olive underbelly. Similar flavours mark the palate flecked with cherry cola and chocolate. The fruit is a rigourous selection of top lots from Sonoma (77) and Napa (23). Winemaker Randy Ullom is using 23 percent new French oak here and it's really firm up the mid-palate and finish. Well done.

The most powerful of the Estate Merlot samples, it's also the ripest, with mocha and black cherry flavors. Structured finish.

Pure merlot flavor carries straight through this clean, well-blended red. Sweet, perfumed cassis balances light and savory tannins, the wine ending on a floral note.

A superripe style, with crushed plum and boysenberry puree flavors coursing through, along with a hefty dose of warm ganache and melted black licorice. A graphite hint keeps this going on the finish. Shows more oomph than purity. For fans of the style only.

The 2012 Meritage Red Wine Grand Reserve is terrific. Impeccable in its balance, the 2012 is racy and expressive from start to finish. New leather, smoke, menthol and grilled herbs wrap around a core of generous dark fruit in a wine that offers plenty of up-front appeal.

Shows good, deep, classic blackberry and cassis flavors, richly oaked, as well as some hard tannins.

You'll be hard pressed to find a better wine at this price. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel, sourced only from coastal counties, it's totally dry, full bodied, firm in tannins and drinkable now for its wealth of blackberry, currant, black cherry and oak flavors.

The 2005 Proprietary Red Stature, which is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and the rest Malbec, comes largely from Atlas Peak, followed by Mt. Veeder, Alexander Mountain Estate and Bennett Valley. Much less evolved than its sibling, this wine has classic cedar wood, fruitcake, licorice and underbrush notes in the nose, along with black and red currants. The slightly compact attack then expands, with a savory, medium to full-bodied, deep authoritative wine that is close to full maturity, but should easily last for another 10-15 years.