94 pts from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate! "Rating: 94 The 2005 Vintner's Select is a dense, full-bodied red wine that stains the teeth and fills the mouth with notes of chocolate, mocha, roasted espresso, blackberries, and sweet cherries. This whopper of a Merlot is dense, chewy, and oozing with fruit and glycerin. Consume this stunning 2005 over the next decade." - Dec. 07 Issue 93 pts from Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar! "Rating: 93 - Good full red-ruby. Sexy aromas of raspberry, mocha, minerals and nutty oak. Fat, lush and seamless, with impressively dense flavors of dark fruits, mocha and nutty oak lifted by subtle finishing minerality. The tannins are substantial but sweet, and this very rich, layered merlot retains freshness on the very long finish." - June 08 Issue Winery Notes: Clone 3 Merlot vines planted on a vein of rocky, volcanic soil in our Lower Mountain Top vineyard block create this expressive single vineyard wine. Heady red fruit and floral notes of blueberry, raspberry, plum and freesia are balanced by brown sugar, anise and toffee aromas. The seductive nose and mid-palate lead into a silky finish as fully integrated tannins caress the tongue.