A blend of 87.7% Merlot, 6.1% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4.1% Petit Verdot and 2.1% Malbec, the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Merlot features ripe, expressive warm plums, black cherries and blackberry scents with touches of spice cake, fallen leaves and tobacco. Full, rich, plushly textured and laden with spiced black fruits, it finishes with a compelling peppery lift. 1,102 cases produced.

The 2014 Merlot is 78.8% Merlot, 8.4% Petit Verdot and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Cabernet Franc aged 15 months in neutral oak. Spicy notes in the fragrance along with hints of coffee bean, chocolate, and red and black cherries jump from the glass of this round, lush, easygoing style of Merlot, which is meant to be drunk over the next 10 years or so.

I tasted two Merlots from Freemark Abbey. The 2013 Merlot Napa, which comes from multiple sources, is their biggest cuvée (89.1% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec aged almost 16 months in oak). A deep ruby color, with notes of mocha, white chocolate, black cherry and dried herbs, the wine is medium-bodied, shows loads of supple, lush fruit, easygoing soft tannin and a round juiciness. Isn’t this exactly what buyers of Merlot are looking for? Drink it over the next 7-8 years.

A cross-Napa Valley blend, the 2012 Merlot is their largest cuvée (15,500 cases), and is composed of 85.2% Merlot blended with other Bordeaux varietals. Only 21% new oak is used, so the fruit component dominates. A dense plum/purple color is followed by notes of chocolate, berries, tobacco leaf, forest floor and mocha. This lush, fruit-driven, hedonistic, sensual Merlot can be drunk over the next 7-8 years.

The 2011 Merlot Napa is a blend of 82.2% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc aged 14 months in 25% new oak. A solid, competent effort for the vintage, it offers up notes of herbs, white chocolate, espresso, clove and sweet cherries. Medium-bodied and somewhat short, it needs to be drunk over the next 4-6 years. Now owned by Kendall-Jackson, but with long-time winemaker Ted Edwards still firmly in control, Freemark Abbey has produced a large assortment of wines ranging from very good to exceptional. Tel. (707) 302-3721