A structured wine, with dark fruits and light toasted oak. Coffee undertones too. Full and velvety, with lots of fruit. It's very reserved, yet you see the dense fruit and structure here. This is famous pure Merlot. Give it until 2014 to open on the palate.

The 2007 L’Apparita (Merlot) is another outstanding wine, but it is the least interesting of the estate’s high-end 2007s. The warm growing season doesn’t appear to have been as kind to the Merlot as it was to the other grapes grown on the property. Super ripe dark fruit, sweet French oak and chocolate emerge from this supple, round Apparita, with just enough minerality on the finish to provide a measure of balance. The wine’s persistence and length are first rate but a slight overripe quality lingers. The Merlot grown in these high-altitude vineyards has a way of developing immense nobility with bottle age, so it will be fascinating to see what happens here. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2027.- AG

This pure, fresh red is laced with aromas and flavors of blackberry, raspberry, flowers and mineral, with well-integrated oak lending support rather than make-up. Despite the concentration and intensity, there is an elegance to the wine, and the vibrant structure just keeps driving the fruit and spice aftertaste. Merlot. Best from 2013 through 2028. 70 cases imported.–BS