June 2002 Over the last twelve months, Wine & Spirits tasted 298 Merlot. The following wines received the strongest praise from our critics. A list of all merlot tasted, with the recommended wines highlighted, is included with subscription copies.

Merlot
95 I Andrew Will $40 1999 Washington State Ciel du Cheval Merlot In Ciel du Cheval, a vineyard on Red Mountain, Andrew Will's '98 showed more roasted flavors, while this '99 is cool and refined. That's not to say it isn't laden with fruit (the flavors reminded me of a Òberry soupÓ served at Manhattan's Blue Hill, a bowl of extraordinarily fresh blackberries, blueberries and wild strawberries). It's opaque in a youthful Bordelais sense, a green streak running through to the iron-filing feel of the tannins in the end. That structure yields as the wine's spectacular complexity comes forward with air; its pure, supple plum flavors and brooding richness are nothing less than gorgeous after the wine has been open for a day. (510 cases) Andrew Will Cellars, Vashon, WA
94 I Barnett $45 1999 Spring Mountain District Merlot Spring Mountain is growing some of the best merlot in Napa, and this young Ô99 shows the depth and persistence of flavor the best can offer. It marries the ease of merlot with the flavor of a place - the cool, succulent fruit filling the mouth, then the terroir character growing out of a finish that lasts for minutes, converting the mellow red depth of currants into a refined earthiness, hinting at black tobacco, black trumpet mushrooms, all in slow release from the pinpoint tannins that lift it rather than weigh it down. And as any merlot should, it feels lovely. The length of flavor and the fact that it tastes better the day after it's first opened both suggest this will be at its best eight to ten years from the vintage. (400 cases) Barnett Vineyards, St. Helena, CA
94 I Chappellet $25 1999 Napa Valley Merlot This merlot emphasizes complete maturity of fruit while holding to a red spectrum of flavor. When first poured, the depth and brightness of color along with the solid fruit presence are the only hints at what comes later with plenty of air (or years of age). After several hours, the red fruit core takes greater shape, yielding the gentleness and clarity of flavor you might find in a perfectly ripe wild strawberry, a juicy blueberry picked on a forest trail. That freshness and focus has only intensified a day later, when the full length and elegance of the wine is more completely apparent. (2,500 cases) Chappellet Vineyard, St. Helena, CA
94 I L'Ecole No. 41 $40 1999 Walla Walla Valley Seven Hills Vineyard Merlot The aroma is powerfully compressed, making it difficult to perceive with pleasure. It has the power of that first tip of the sun at sunrise before the wine blasts open on the palate, tingling with earthy flavor and savory cherry-skin depths to the tannin. Then it grows grander with air, a blast of flavor, the aroma expanding into dusty earth to accompany the lasting fruit character. Put this away; it has the power and taut structure to grow into an astonishing beauty. (1,281 cases) L'Ecole No. 41, Lowden, WA
94 I Pride $48 1999 Napa County 61%, Sonoma County 39% Merlot This is a real mountain merlot, grown high in the Mayacamas range at the border between Napa and Sonoma. Grown in clay soils by highly stressed vines, the fruit typically matures a month later than on the valley floor, the concentration in the small berries emphasizing tannins and power, and this wine has the muscularity you'd expect, expressed with brilliance and drive. From the first impression of a crush of blackberries, the fruit lifts up over a chalk line of tannins, superripe but contained, red, black and gripping. It ends in a blast of raspberry, a trumpet of fruit flavor. The finish is juicy as a steak. Pride continues to grow some of the best merlot in the North Coast. Pride Mountain Vineyards, St. Helena, CA
93 I Chateau Ste. Michelle $18 1999 Columbia Valley Merlot Black as midnight, this wine's ripe plum and chocolate flavors feel blanketed by a soil character, giving it a sense of place. The luscious texture is consistent all the way through, offering a supple grandeur, a cool and sexy feel. This is an astonishing value from Washington. Chateau Ste. Michelle, Woodinville, WA
93 I Duckhorn $45 1999 Napa Valley Merlot Ripeness may have become a buzzword in Napa, but here you can taste it: the tannins are immaculately ripe, giving a succulence to the wine. Yet somehow it doesn't lose the trademark red currant flavor of Duckhorn, the lift of the acidity setting off a blast of flavor. Duckhorn Vineyards, St. Helena, CA
93 I McKenzie-Mueller $30 1999 Carneros Merlot Black and unyielding, chewy and dense, this wine grows bold with air. Cherry comes up first, then a spiciness, building out to a fresh blueberry flavor, lasting with complex accents of green and black herbs. It's grown in clay-loam soils on the rolling hills of Napa - Carneros, near Las Amigas. (600 cases) McKenzie-Mueller Vineyards and Winery, Napa, CA
93 I Niebaum-Coppola $44 1999 Rutherford Napa Valley Merlot A refined essence of the grape as grown in Rutherford: Even though the vines are only six to seven years old, they carry the message of the black earth through the skin of their grapes to balance the smooth, sweet cherry flavor of the juice. It's simple but beautifully done, ending with a sense of refinement and an inviting sense of place. Niebaum-Coppola Estate, Rutherford, CA
93 I Paloma $39 1998 Napa Valley - Spring Mtn. District Merlot This dark wine has a true merlot flavor and a gentleness characteristic of the grape. A sophisticated expression of Spring Mountain, with a rich, loamy earthiness that gives depth and dimension to the fruit, this is complex, and though not a powerful wine, it heightens flavor perception, both for its own sake, and for the sake of a steak tartare. (1,600 cases) Paloma Vineyard, St. Helena, CA
93 I Selene $48 1999 Napa Valley Blackbird Vineyards Merlot Merlot with a capital M: Beautiful black in color, generously ripe but not too far, supple as melted chocolate. The length of flavor focuses on earth and smoke, inviting another sip to bring back the rich goodness. This is easy to sip on its own, or with prime rib. (700 cases) Selene Wines, Napa, CA
93 I L'Ecole No. 41 $30 1999 Columbia Valley Merlot A purple-black curtain of darkness falls over the palate as you taste this wine, lifting slowly to reveal a buzz of beeswax, of purple flowers and fine-grained tannins, of supple blue-black fruit. It's succulent and delicious without the power and overwrought ripeness that often accompanies those merlot qualities. (4,452 cases) L'Ecole No. 41, Lowden, WA
93 I Seven Hills $28 1999 Columbia Valley Klipsun Vineyard Merlot Breathe in the scent of Rainier cherries, breathe out the roseate bitterness of red earth, cool as rain. Then look at the wine again, the edge of the glass glowing red as the fruit and the earth. It's taut and highly scented as a plum blossom, generous and deep as red plum, and it should age into a beauty. Seven Hills Winery, Walla Walla, WA
93 I Seven Hills $32 1998 Walla Walla Valley Reserve Seven Hills Vineyard Merlot This is richly concentrated, with fresh berry and black cherry fruit, a sumptuous merlot of tremendous depth, density and length of fruit flavor. It has the silken texture that makes some of the best Pomerols so appealing, a satin quality to the tannins that seems to reflect the fruit in a bright, shining light. (220 cases) Seven Hills Winery, Walla Walla, WA
93 I Andrew Will $40 1999 Washington State Seven Hills Merlot The Seven Hills shows the most merlotness of Andrew Will's '99 bottlings, a wine that's plump yet weightless, plush yet powerful. The varietal flavors yield bold red and black fruit, the tannins sharpened to a bitter almond edge that mellows to a layered juiciness. But no matter how edgy, those tannins never manage to hide the wine's sheer deliciousness. (297 cases) Andrew Will Cellars, Vashon, WA