A soft, sexy and luxuriously textured red, the 2014 Walla Walla Merlot (there’s 6% Cabernet Franc in the blend) is loaded with perfectly ripe notes of black currants, lead pencil shavings, charred earth and chocolate. Full-bodied and possessing a wealth of fruit, you have to hunt for the tannin, but they’re there; still, fruit and texture are the name of the game here. The baby fat should slowly melt away and it should have 15 years or more of longevity.