An interesting Merlot that shows a huge improvement over the ’02 and ’03, possibly because the vintage was warmer and the fruit got ripe. The winery still has work to do on this bottling, but the ’04 is tannic and rich, and shows the blackberry, currant and cedar flavors you want in an ultrapremium Merlot.——S.H.(6/1/2008)—— 87