You can taste the sun-warmed grapes that got so ripe and fruity in this fine vintage. Blackberries, cherries, chocolate, dark plums and violets flood the palate, with rich toasty oak overtones. There are bigtime tannins, too, dusty and fairly astringent, making for a puckery feeling. A dry, balanced Merlot to cellar for a couple years. ——S.H.(3/1/2007)—— 87