This 2007 Brokenstone Merlot has a limpid purple color, then a broody, truffle-scented nose with touches of boysenberry and Doris plum, later a hint of honey. The palate is full-bodied with firm tannins, good acidity, introverted with a dense chewy cassis and blueberry finish. It is a little ‘forced’, but there is good fruit here. Drink now-2011. Tony Bish continues to produce some outstanding examples of Hawkes Bay wine and their Helmsman stood shoulder to shoulder with an array of top Bordeaux 2005s at a blind tasting in 2009. Their entry-level Gunn Estate wine form a superb introduction to the delights of the region’s wines, in particular their Skeetfield Chardonnay.Importer: Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines, Napa, CA; www.diageo.com

Youthfully bold, fruit-forward and slightly jammy, Sacred Hill’s flagship Merlot offers bright cherries, but avoids being a one-trick pony by folding in subtle tea-leaf complexities and wonderfully silky tannins. Drink now–2017. ——J.C.(6/1/2010)—— 90