Cakebread 2005 Merlot, Napa Valley

Consistently one of Napa Valley's classiest merlots, the 2005 Cakebread Merlot is an especially rich example of the variety. Delicious now, this lavishly flavored, complex Merlot will benefit from another 3-5 years' cellaring.

The Cakebread Cellars 2005 Merlot Napa Valley,  blended with 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, is an especially rich example of the variety. It displays ripe blackberry and black plum aromas with secondary scents of vanilla and dark coffee characteristics. Lush and full-bodied, showcasing luscious blackberry, plum and boysenberry flavors that segue into a long finish featuring spiciness, elegant, refined tannins, and crisp underlying acidity. The grapes for the 2005 Merlot come from two classic Napa Valley regions: the cool-climate Carneros district in the southern valley, which delivers bright fruit with crisp acidity, and the mid-valley region, whose warmer temperatures produce riper, richer fruit with juicy berry and plum flavor