Add this 2004 Pahlmeyer Merlot to your wine collection!

Bottled: May 8, 2006

Alcohol 15.2%

Winemaker: Erin Green

Harvest dates: Sept. 9 to Oct. 12, 2004

Composition: 87% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon

Primary Vineyard Composition: Waters Ranch, Farella, Lynch Valley, Caldwell, Rancho Chimiles

Rating from Connoisseur's Guid to California Wine: While exaggerated ripeness has lately become the bane of too many wines, this highly ripened and downright opulent wine handles its alcohols with great aplomb and delivers layer upon layer of sweet and succulent ripe-cherry fruit, cocoa and lovely, creme brulee oak. It is full, fleshy, and very well-balanced with an inviting sense of plushness backed up by perfectly integrated tannins, and its scant suggestion of finishing heat is made moot by its extraordinary long fruit. Its show-stopping richness will no doubt invite early drinking, but its structure and depth signal great things ahead. 95 points.