Behrens & Hitchcock Merlot Oakville

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The 1999 Merlot Oakville (500 cases of 100% Merlot) is a dense, very chewy Merlot with oodles of smoky blackberry and cherry fruit. The wine is unctuously-textured, with plenty of glycerin, and a heady, concentrated finish. It will be delicious when released, and age well for at least 10-12 years. (Release date 08/01) Tel. 707-963-1774; Fax 707-963-8206

The dark ruby-colored 1998 Merlot Oakville displays mineral, smoke, black cherry, and spicy oak aromatics. Medium-bodied, round, and easy to drink, it will be a seductive, delicious Merlot to enjoy during its first 5-6 years of life. Sold via a mailing list. Tel. 707-963-1774; Fax 707-963-8206

The dark plum-colored 1997 Merlot Oakville, from a parcel of vines close to Dalla Valle, Screaming Eagle, and the new Rudd Cellars, is a jammy offering with gobs of ostentatiously rich black cherry fruit intermixed with smoke and spicy oak. It hits the palate with generous amounts of glycerin, and thick, juicy fruit. This succulently-textured wine is a thrill to drink. It should provide Merlot lovers with plenty of excitement. Moreover, it should continue to drink well for a decade. Readers are well-advised to get on Behrens and Hitchcock's mailing list as a large percentage of their small production is sold via this route. Tel. 707-963-1774; Fax 707-963-8206

What a sumptuous, knock-out, gloriously rich, layered, and juicy Merlot Behrens and Hitchcock has produced. This wine possesses a dark ruby/purple color, dazzling, sweet, black cherry liqueur-like notes in its aromatics, and judicious notes of spicy oak. The wine's purity, and multiple layers of texture that combine thrilling levels of fruit, glycerin, and extract into a seamless, voluptuously-endowed wine are to be both enjoyed and admired. Diaphanous, this wine can be peeled one layer at a time given its thick, rich, high-rise effect on the palate. The fruit is super-ripe and well-balanced with copious sweet tannin and low acidity. This is a full-bodied, sensationally-endowed Merlot to drink over the next decade. Readers may remember the ecstatic reviews I gave previous releases from Behrens and Hitchcock last year. I am thrilled to say that the current releases are also immensely impressive. As demonstrated by last year's releases in addition to these new offerings, Behrens and Hitchcock are producing some of northern California's most exciting wines. Tel. 707-963-1774; Fax 707-963-8206

The opaque black/purple-colored 1995 Merlot Oakville (100 cases) possesses an expressive blueberry-scented nose that is a perfect match for its sumptuous personality. The wine exhibits superb richness, medium to full body, a natural texture, with sensual levels of fruit, glycerin, and extract. It is a full-bodied, seamlessly-styled Merlot that should drink well for a decade. This exquisite wine merits the attention of serious wine drinkers. Who are these people? As of August, 1997, this winery ranks as the discovery of the year. All of the wines reviewed in this segment, unfiltered and unfined, are made in limited quantities of 100-200 case lots, but geez, what amazing concentration, character, and potential these offerings from two guys named Behrens and Hitchcock offer. Tel. 707-963-1774; Fax 707-963-8206