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90
J. Lohr 2014 Estates Los Osos Merlot (Paso
Robles). For full review see page 21. Best
Buy.
abv: 13.5% Price: $15
90
Mill Creek 2013 Merlot (Alexander Valley).
Juicy black plum and milk chocolate combine
for a richly lush, soft and mild experience in
this approachable wine, ripe and seasoned in a
sprinkling of black pepper. —V.B.
abv: 14.7% Price: $32
90
Saddleback 2014 Merlot (Oakville). This is
a thick, rich and chocolate-laden wine, soft
and generously ladened with tannin. Cigar, cedar
and dried sage remind one of its varietal intent,
while its medium-bodied size allows for plushness
on the palate. —V.B.
abv: 14.5% Price: $45
89
Duckhorn 2013 Merlot (Napa Valley). From a
range of sites, including the producer’s own
Three Palms Vineyard, this wine is muted in spiced
plum and a trace of gunpowder, as well as dried herb
and mountaintop cedar. Dense and generous in tannin,
it’s soft and potently round. —V.B.
abv: 14.5% Price: $54
88
Bench 2014 Merlot (Knights Valley). A light,
bright version of the variety, this soft and
herbaceous wine mixes a subtle richness of toasted
oak and dark chocolate with black plum and cherry.
It retains its acidity well, showing a tightness of
structure with enough approachability. —V.B.
abv: 13.7% Price: $24
88
Dry Creek Vineyard 2013 Merlot (Dry Creek
Valley). This youthful, tannic wine needs
time in the glass to unfold, benefiting from the additions
of 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet
Franc. A reductive style shows slightly on the nose
before streaks of soy, leather and tobacco provide
plenty of savory elements with which to play. —V.B.
abv: 14.5% Price: $26
88
Duckhorn 2013 Rector Creek Vineyard Merlot
(Napa Valley). A full-bodied expression of
the variety, blended with 5% Cabernet Sauvignon,
this soft, rounded wine is dense in blueberry and
currant, with a complexity of leather, pencil and
soy. A pinpoint of reduction on the finish gives it a
tinge of bitterness. —V.B.
abv: 14.5% Price: $95
88
Vanderbilt 2013 Reserve Merlot (Dry Creek
Valley). A mild current of cinnamon, clove
and tobacco provide a spicy entry into this wine,
backed up by a fruity mid-palate. Medium weight
and body give it some power and substance, while
on the finish, it comes under an herbaceous light.
—V.B.
abv: 14.5% Price: $27
86
Angeline 2014 Reserve Merlot (Paso
Robles). Olallieberry, cedar and lacqueredwood
aromas show on the nose of this bottling from
a winery based in the Russian River Valley. There is
a decently structured tannic chalkiness to the palate,
with flavors of black cherry, vanilla and pepper.
—M.K.
abv: 13.5% Price: $15
86
Buena Vista 2014 Merlot (Sonoma Valley).
This highly concentrated, richly ripe red
explores notions of plum, black cherry and tobacco.
It finishes with a mildness of dried herb. —V.B.
abv: 15% Price: $25
86
Joullian 2013 Merlot (Carmel Valley). Sharp
Concord grape ripeness meets with a touch
of chile pepper and dark tobacco on the nose of
this bottling. The palate is redolent with aromatic
woods, from cedar to sandalwood, as well as blueberries
and dried herbs, but it’s a tad thin. —M.K.
abv: 13.5% Price: $40
86
Pull 2012 Merlot (Paso Robles). Light dried
herbs, cigar box and cranberry aromas
arise on the nose of this bottling from the Broken
Earth team. It’s zesty on the sip, with raspberry and
cooked red-plum flavors that are spiced up by pepper
and more dried herbs. It’s a tad thin. —M.K.
abv: 14.1% Price: $18
86
St. Supéry 2013 Dollarhide Estate Vineyard
Merlot (Rutherford). Thick, rich and woody,
this herbal, estate-grown red shows a wealth of
baked-plum flavor laced in vanilla, with richness
bursting on the finish. —V.B.
abv: 14.5% Price: $50
85
Camp 2015 Merlot (Sonoma County). This is
a simple wine with a touch of menthol and
astringency, a mix of dried herb and grapes picked
at an early stage of ripeness. —V.B.
abv: 12.5% Price: $18
84
Broadway Vineyards 2013 Estate Grown Merlot
(Carneros). This is a basic wine, thick
and extracted with a generosity of ripe, bold red
fruit and walled-in tannin. —V.B.
abv: 14.6% Price: $40
94
PETIT VERDOT
Boeschen Vineyards 2013 Estate Petit Verdot
(Napa Valley). Winemaker Doug Boeschen
has but one acre of this variety, and he puts it to
tremendous use here, in this tamed, food-friendly
expression of a robust grape. This vintage is his first
single-bottling of PV. Soft, integrated tannin supports
juicy black currant and a svelte layering of
dark chocolate, punctured by an arsenal of beautiful
violet aromas. —V.B.
abv: 14.5% Price: $95
92
Jarvis 2010 Estate Grown Cave Fermented
Petit Verdot (Napa Valley). This wine takes
a light approach to a robust red grape, in this case
mellowing it with the addition of 15% Merlot. It
remains buoyant on the palate and well structured,
a combination of black olive, toffee, chalky tannin,
juicy blackberry and blueberry. It allows for a richness
of flavor without ever going overboard in texture
or weight. —V.B.
abv: 13.4% Price: $120
91
Concannon 2013 Reserve Petit Verdot (Livermore
Valley). Juicy blackberry and boysenberry
flavors fill out this deeply colored, boldtasting,
full-bodied but not oaky wine. More fruit
nuances and concentration develop with each sip,
and the richly tannic texture coats the sides of the
mouth, propelling the ripe fruit through the finish.
It’s a great way to enjoy this Bordeaux grape variety
bottled on its own instead of in a blend, as usual.
—J.G.
abv: 14.5% Price: $32
91
St. Supéry 2013 Dollarhide Petit Verdot (Napa
Valley). Full bodied and fully concentrated,
this estate-grown wine showcases black tar, licorice
and black cherry, well-developed flavors that ride a
luxurious texture of grippy tannin and toasty oak.
Dark as night, the flavors are protracted and extensive
through the finish. —V.B.
abv: 14.5% Price: $50
90
William Hill Estate 2013 Benchland Series
Petit Verdot (Napa Valley). This big,
brawny red has a baked quality to the fruit, a richness
of blackberry, blueberry and tobacco leaf that’s
surrounded by lush, velvety and integrated tannin.
Subtle in oak, it speaks to power and concentration
of the grape itself. —V.B.
abv: 15.2% Price: $55
89
Peju 2013 Petit Verdot (Napa Valley). This
100% varietal wine is dense and heavy on
the palate in a generosity of tannin and concentrated
black fruit. Lingering notions of cedar, dried
herb and tar provide a tinge of bitterness as it develops
in the glass. —V.B.
abv: 14.5% Price: $42
87
Midnight 2012 Synnove Petit Verdot (Paso
Robles). Just-plucked blueberry, cedar and
fermenting-grape aromas show on the dusty nose of
this dark and heavy bottling. Boysenberry, turned
earth and coffee beans show on the palate that is
framed by chalky tannins, finishing on a touch of
vanilla. —M.K.
abv: 14.8% Price: $44
87
Parducci 2013 Reserve Petit Verdot (Mendocino).
This is a dark, intensely astringent
wine with so much grape and oak tannin that it’s
challenging to enjoy now. Since PV is known as a
grape that provides color and tannin in Bordeaux
wines, it’s no wonder that it’s so stiff today. It will
drink best after 2020. —J.G.
abv: 14.5% Price: $30
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