Big and brawny, this is dry and hard in tannins, as Nickel & Nickel wines tend to be in youth. This one, from a cool section of southern Napa Valley, is brisk in acids, making it rather closed now. But it has a gigantic core of blackberries, with a delicious edge of dark chocolate. Merlot is a difficult wine to age in California, but this one should improve over the next five years, maybe longer. — (9/1/2012) —93