Bright, saturated ruby-red. Sappy, super ripe but more brooding aromas of black cherry liqueur, black raspberry and dark chocolate. Denser and more minerally than the regular merlot, with a very different, finer-grained texture rare for North Coast merlot. Very young but already pliant. Finishes with superb brooding dark fruit flavors that really stain the palate. This is from stony, clay rich soil that produces fruit with more extract and acidity and a deeper color, notes Foley, who adds that some of this fruit goes into Pride's reserve claret. A superb California merlot.

Medium to medium-dark ruby color; attractive, intense, smoky, plummy, ripe black cherry fruit aroma with notes of dill, rhubarb, cola, and charred oak; full-body; big, dense, concentrated, cedary, tarrish, ripe black cherry and blackberry fruit flavors with a note of coffee bean and overtones of creamy oak; well structured with good depth of fruit; medium-full to full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Deserves several more years of bottle aging. Very highly recommended. 14.1% alcohol; 392 cases; 100% Merlot; released November 2003.

The amazing limited 300 case cuvee of 100% Merlot is a candidate for the finest Merlot-based wine I have ever tasted from northern California. As I tasted this wine with Bob Foley, I could not help asking myself, "how in the hell does he get Merlot to be this great!". This knock-out effort's notes of mocha, chocolate, black cherry liqueur formed into an amazingly concentrated, rich yet elegant wine with no hard edges. This seamless classic is worth twisting a few arms to get a bottle or two. It's that spectacular…and I'm not a fan of New World Merlot! Drink it over the next 12-15 years.