Blended with 9% Malbec and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2015 Merlot Wild Child displays a dark ruby center and opens with a red-fruited core of dark cherry skin and dark plum with hints of sandalwood, sage and dusty red flowers. Medium-bodied, the wine is open-knit with a straightforward and uncomplicated expression and is still tight with tannin, then lingers on to a flavor of bitter dark chocolate on the finish. The wine spent 18 months in barrel, 18% new French oak and 37% new American oak, while the remainder aged in neutral barrels. Just under 2,800 bottles were made.

Displaying a ruby core, the 2014 Merlot Wild Child opens with concentrated red fruits, subtle spiced red florals and hints of bitter dark chocolate. The wine is medium-bodied, with dusty characteristics that show up on the mid-palate along with grainy, chocolaty tones as the red fruit dissipates to reveal structuring tannins. The finish is slightly grippy now but should mellow out in the next year or two. 244 cases produced.

The realistically priced 2013 Merlot Wild Child exhibits aromas of fruitcake and blackcurrants, followed by a medium-bodied palate that's built around a bright line of acidity, to the extent that it verges on the angular, but it boasts a decent core of crunchy fruit.

Another ripe, sexy, fruit-loaded effort is the 2012 Merlot Wild Child, which comes all from the Wahluke Slope. Seeing 20 months in 25% new French and American oak (mostly French), it has delicious, straightforward notes of black cherries, graphite and vanilla oak; it also has full-bodied richness, a deep, ruby color and a plump, rounded, mouth-filling texture. Drink it over the coming 5-6 years.

A blend of 96% Merlot and 2% each of Petit Verdot and Malbec, the 2011 Merlot Wild Child comes all from the Stone Tree Vineyard and spent 18 months in a combination of French (mostly), Hungarian and American oak. It offers too much char and oak in its chocolate, charred earth, tobacco leaf and dark fruit aromatics, yet is medium-bodied, supple and easy drinking on the palate. Drink it over the coming couple of years.