• 2005 Pride Mountain Vineyards Merlot - USA, California, North Coast, Napa / Sonoma (9/1/2008)
  Popped and poured. Dark hue in glass. Somewhat reticent nose initially wasn't yielding too much.......some aromas of plum, cocoa, and oak. Medium plus body, the flavors on the palate were much more open with big, delicious fruit accented by a swathe of toasty oak flavors. Like drinking velvet. And the tannins are perfectly balanced, much more in check with the fruit, especially when compared with other vintages of this wine that IMO seemed monolithic. In fact, I would think that in another 1-2 years this wine will undoubtedly improve, the tannins integrating with the fruit and oak to create another wonderful example of Pride Merlot with more complexity than what is presently showing. However, this will provide much hedonistic pleasure if opened now. (91 pts.)

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