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Many of our fans have referred to Gerhard's Merlot as a "Cab-drinker's Merlot" because it is always incredibly stout and complex. Our Merlot has received enough feedback from a few adoring Delectus fans to make us blush. Kind ratings from the press (the last two Merlot vintages received 90 and 92 points from Wine Spectator), food pairing suggestions, and elaborate descriptors (smooth as cashmere is one of our favorites) bring us to the conclusion that Delectus Merlot rocks and rolls 2026
2006 MERLOT, Napa Valley
Tasting Notes
Vibrant nose of apple-cinnamon, hints of vanilla, Chinese plum sauce, and chalk dust. The palate is youthful, still a bit tight, chewy and velvety with a hint of creaminess. A slight nuance of tartness in the finish stimulates your appetite. This wine should fully open by mid-summer and will reward further short term aging. (1/09)
Past Reviews & Accolades
2005 Merlot, Napa Valley 2005
Wine Spectator, 90 points
Dense and nicely structured, with ripe plum and herb aromas and vivid cherry and spicy oak flavors that slowly unfurl in the glass. Drink now through 2010. - J.L.
2001 Merlot
Two Puffs, 92 Points - Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine
"Wonderfully rich oak works to sweeten this very inviting Merlot from first sniff to finish, but for all of its creamy enticements and its undisguised ripeness, the wine is defined first and last by its deep and confident fruit. Full and fleshy in feel, and so well extracted as to make its slight finishing heat forgivable, this is one to team with recipes of commensurable richness such as mesquite-grilled rib-eye steaks drizzled with a red wine reduction." (November 2005)
92 Pts - Wine Spectator
"Dense and concentrated, with a substantial core of rich, earthy tannins but also a wonderful beam of leathery currant, sage and herbal notes. Excellent balance, depth and range of flavor on the finish. Best from 2006 through 2012." (May 31, 2005)
2000 Merlot, Stanton Vineyard
93 Pts - Connoisseur's Guide
"Here is an intense and deeply filled expression of Merlot that is loaded with lovely oak but never loses sight of the lavish fruit that is its first and foremost gift. Wonderfully layered in character and accented with elements of vanilla, cream, cocoa and dried orange peel, it is broad and coating on the palate with so much richness that its finishing heat and minor tannins become next to negligible. There is every reason to expect even better with a few years of age, but early drinking is easily excused if not outright condoned." (March 2003)
1999 Merlot, Stanton Vineyard
92 Pts - Specs Monthly
"This is a big well-structured flavorful Merlot that both fills the mouth and holds the interest. The dark cherry fruit dominates but there are notes of cedar, tobacco, and other fruit nuanances. With its chewiness and dusty dry character, the texture is more Cabernet than monster Merlot. The fruit hangs in and the finish really lasts. Excellent." (October 2002)
91 Pts - Connoisseur's Guide
"Ripe and rich from the outstanding smelling of black cherries, sweet smoke and caramelized vanilla beans, the wine is full and supple in feel on the palate with a plush, mouth filling and coating texture. Filled with buoyant, succulent fruit that fits perfectly with the wine's veneer of roasted vanilla oakiness, this one has a quiet but ever present streak of firming tannins that provide both backbone for the present and the promise of better to come with a few years of aging." (June 2002)
