The 2007 Merlot Klipsun Vineyard (100%) spent 32 months in 60% new French oak. It offers up an aromatic array of cedar, herbs and spices, incense, violets, cassis, and black currant leading to a medium to full-bodied, structured, potentially complex Merlot with savory flavors, ripe tannins, and a lengthy finish. It, too, will benefit from 3-4 years of additional bottle age and will be at its best from 2014 to 2022+. French ex-pat Marie-Eve Gilla is a partner and winemaker of Forgeron Cellars, located in Walla Walla. These are the finest wines I have tasted to date from this reliable source.Tel. (509) 522-9463; www.forgeroncellars.com

Released more than four years after harvest, this astringent, oaky Merlot remains in a dumb phase. Barrel flavors of bourbon and vanilla quickly take over the nose and the palate, though there is a suggestion of compact power and black fruit lurking in the background. Give it a lot of decanting time.——P.G.(4/1/2012)—— 88

The purple-colored 2004 Merlot Klipsun Vineyard offers up an enticing nose of wood smoke, spice box, damp earth, black cherry, and black currant. Medium to full-bodied, on the palate it exhibits a smooth texture, excellent depth and grip, plenty of savory fruit, and some incipient complexity. It demands 4-6 years of cellaring and will offer peak drinking from 2013 to 2024. Part-owner/winemaker Marie-Eve Gilla appears to be on top of her game.Tel. (509) 522-9463

Dark, dense and lush with rock, cracked pepper, Bing cherries, streaks of spice and mocha, this nicely aged and softened Merlot is full and open. The fruit is round and generous, the tannins polished, and the flavors wrapped in delicious baking spices. ——P.G.(12/1/2009)—— 91