($41): One whiff tells you this is serious wine.  The taste confirms it.  This serious Merlot, a blend from14 vineyard sites around the Columbia Valley, is powerful, but not overdone. You barely notice its 14.7% stated alcohol, even in the finish. Packed with succulent ripe fruit, it has earthy and herbal notes–both on the nose and the palate–characteristic of Merlot, which paradoxically are often lacking in wines bottled under that varietal’s name. 91 Michael Apstein Oct 21, 2008