Hevron Heights Pardess Merlot 2001

This is another fine wine from the Hevron Heights winery. The winery lavished care on this wine, including 18 months in barrels, and you can taste the result.
I detected only hints of the plums and black cherries promised on the label; instead, the wine was a nice, solid, and straightforward merlot. The stood up well to a meal of roasted meats and vegetables. The color was very dark red, almost to the point of muddiness, which had me worried until after I took my first sip.
As always, read the label; it suggests that you decant the wine a half-hour in advance, and it's good advice. As for my advice, I recommend this wine if you're interested in a good merlot from a very decent winery.