The aromas of black currants, graphite, lavender and violets are gorgeous. Black olives and walnuts, too. Medium-bodied with ultra-fine tannins, a racy texture and small black berry-like flavors. Iron undertones as well...

Silky and plush, this red leans to the elegant side, featuring black cherry, blackberry, vanilla, iron and toasty oak aromas and flavors. Harmonious and well-structured, with polished tannins emerging on the long...

Deep red with magenta highlights, the 2020 Messorio is the most complete of these wines aromatically on opening and seems to disprove the idea that Merlot is struggling in this region as climate change takes its hold...

Made with 100% Merlot, the Castello dei Rampolla 2021 Liù shows a note of spice and dried herb that frame a dark core of fruit. The wine is rich in appearance, but the mouthfeel remains elegantly slender and polished...

Museums are nearly always beautiful, but they are rarely warm--for that you need a lived-in space rather than a staged one, a private collection in a home. There's something about the Tenuta Sette Ponti Sette that always...

The 2021 Galatrona is a rich, deep, expansive wine endowed with striking textural depth and structure. Dark fruit, sage, lavender, mocha and grilled herbs are all amplified in this potent Merlot. Readers will have to be...

A core of cherry, raspberry and violet is surrounded by mineral and herb notes in this crisp, well-delineated red. A bit compact and dusty on the finish, with a beam of acidity keeping this persistent. Drink now through...

The 2021 Galatrona is a rich, deep, expansive wine endowed with striking textural depth and structure. Dark fruit, sage, lavender, mocha and grilled herbs are all amplified in this potent Merlot. Readers will have to be...

This red is packed with blackberry, black cherry, plum, iron and tobacco flavors. Though vibrant and backed by a dense matrix of tannins, overall this ends with an elegant feel and excellent length. Merlot. Best from 2027...

This red is packed with blackberry, black cherry, plum, iron and tobacco flavors. Though vibrant and backed by a dense matrix of tannins, overall this ends with an elegant feel and excellent length. Merlot. Best from 2027...