Name: Mercer Wine Estates
Price range: $

Black with hints of Garnet at the rim. Currants, plums, vanilla and fruit cake fill the nose with licorice and bittersweet chocolate in the background. A big rich nose showing more volume and density than detail. Swirling brings the same tones with more sweetness, pushing the threshold of ripeness without the overly sweet front end you can get out of California. Volume, texture and balance are the hallmark of this wine. Giving polish and power at the same time, with a creamy sensation at the finish.

Expert Reviews & Scores

David Schildknecht, The Wine Advocate

90 / 100

Scents of cassis, dark cherry, bittersweet floral perfume, and a hint of band-aid as well as a stony undertone on the wine’s dense palate all put me a bit in mind of Bordeaux. Notes of toast and vanilla from all-new barrel (where this spent 21 months, the longest Morell says he will permit) largely back-off after the initial whiff to let considerable floral, mineral and fruit nuances come through in a persistent if still firmly tannic finish.

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