The 2019 Walla Walla Merlot is big, bold and juicy in the glass with elements of dusty leather, plum compote and spiced cherry jubilee. Full-bodied, the wine is firm with a delightful juicy core of dark red fruit that sways with cedar and cinnamon spice elements before showing firm tannins across the mid-palate. The Merlot ends with a long-lingering finish that will be sure to please lovers of generous Merlot. The wine spent 15 months in a mix of new and once filled French barrels and neutral botti. Just over 22,000 bottles produced.

Beginning with a heady nose of spiced plum and Chambord notes, the 2018 Walla Walla Merlot pops out of the glass with dark cherry reduction and purple flowers. Full-bodied, the palate is generous with the red spice and potpourri elements. The wine's robustness offers gobs of pleasure but is not as complex as the rest of the range. The Merlot ends with a long, lingering finish with spiced plum notes.

Mostly Merlot with 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2017 Walla Walla Merlot begins with a black-fruited nose but quickly moves to express red fruit on the palate. The wine is precise, with hints of pencil shavings and juicy plum, while the Cabernet expression lifts the back end with subtle spices. Medium to full-bodied, the wine ends with a long-lingering finish that delivers pleasure and complexity. This is a tasty and gorgeous Merlot, of which there were 1,866 cases made.

The 2016 Walla Walla Merlot (which contains 5% Cabernet Franc) is showing very well already, offering up a lavish bouquet of juicy cherries, crème de cassis, pencil lead and subtle spice. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, supple and open-knit, with a generous core of succulent primary fruit and a youthfully chewy finish. It should drink well for a decade.

Along with DeLille, Leonetti's Merlot is always a contender for the Merlot of the vintage. The 2015 Walla Walla Merlot sports a vibrant purple color to go with gorgeously fresh notes of red plum, black cherries intermixed with notes of graphite and spring flowers. Supple, polished and fruit-forward, with light tannin and good concentration, it's already hard to resist and made in a forward, delicious style. Drink it anytime over the coming decade or more.