The 2007 Merlot, which comes from both Napa and Sonoma fruit (the Pride Mountain vineyards are split by the county line), exhibits a dense purple color as well as abundant chocolate and berry fruit notes, medium to full body, and great freshness, length, and depth. It is a heady, succulent style of Merlot to drink over the next 7-10 years.

Medium ruby; attractive, intense, herbal, spicy, raspberry and black cherry aroma with hints of cedar and brown sugar; medium-full to full body; textured, herbal, ripe cherry fruit flavors with a plush entry; medium-full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Highly recommended.

Lush and rich yet impeccably structured, with bold red currant and toasty mocha aromas and layered flavors of ripe plum, loamy earth and spice, finishing with big but ripe tannins. Drink now through 2015. From California.—T.F.

From its intense, deeply filled aromas of caramel, chocolate, ripe berries, tobacco and coffee to its dramatic and highly extracted flavors, this wine goes right to the brink in terms of richness and power without quite going over the edge. It is hefty stuff by any and all standards, but it is overly heavy and is nicely balanced for the big wine that it is. Its slightly abrasive, tannin-laced finish tags it as one to let rest in the cellar, but its potential for five or more years of growth is beyond question.

Unusually rich and concentrated for a Merlot. Shows classic structure, with firm, ripe tannins and good acidity, although the oak sticks out. A small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon adds a blackberry depth to the cherries and raspberries. Decant if you drink now, but better to cellar until mid-2010.