The dark ruby-colored 1999 Merlot Klipsun, often my favorite of Camarda's Merlots, is tightly wound and backward. It offers blackberry jam and hoisin sauce aromas as well as a medium-bodied character. This wine has some rugged tannin, yet it displays impressive amounts of fruit. Blackberries, cassis, charred oak, and hints of Italian tomatoes can be found in its flavor profile. This is a firm wine that has loads of extract and concentration. Its finish reveals abundant quantities of tannin as well as some warmth (from alcohol), which lowered my score. Projected maturity: 2005-2012.Tel. (206) 463-3290.

An intense blue-purple wine, young, grapey and striking. The classic Klipsun core of iron/mineral is there, along with tight, spicy fruit, and plenty of acid for long-term aging. The complex layers of flavor are a good way from being fully integrated, but the track record of the winery and the vineyard suggest that they will come together beautifully over time.——P.G.(6/1/2001)—— 90