It’s near black in color and boldly styled, but where is it headed? Right now it’s a tart, disjointed mix of berries and earthy, chocolaty notes. Crisply acidic and firmly tannic on the finish. Give it some time in the cellar and hope this 50-50 blend of Merlot and Shiraz comes around better than we’ve predicted.——W.E.(12/31/2004)—— 86