2002 Trefethen Merlot

The delicious, complex, opaque plum/ruby/purple-colored 2002 Merlot (89% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Sauvignon) offers up notes of sweet cherries, cranberries, mulberries, wild herbs and mountain laurel. Medium to full-bodied with excellent texture, sweet tannin and a plush, savory, broad mid-palate and finish, this sexy Merlot can be drunk now, or it is youthful enough to age another 5-7 years. While Trefethen Family Vineyards has been around for a long time, it is probably under-the-radar for most newcomers to the California wine scene. But as these two wines attest, they should not be discounted, as they are capable of producing fine wines from their cellar in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley. Tel. (866) 895-7696