Merlot wine bottle from Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, 2014 vintage.

2014 La Jota Merlot Howell Mountain

with No Comment $80-$90Howell MountainKevin VogtMerlotNapaUSA

La Jota

Merlot 2014
Howell Mountain

Merlot wine bottle from Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, 2014 vintage.

The 2014 La Jota Howell Mountain Merlot arrives with an authority that immediately distinguishes it. Born at high elevation, it forgoes plushness in favor of precision and generosity in favor of structure, delivering a wine that is both powerful and exacting. This is Merlot with genuine mountain backbone, shaped by volcanic soils, cool nights, and a long growing season that prizes depth, tension, and longevity.

La Jota’s roots run deep on this mountain. Founded in 1898 by Frederick Hess, the estate has endured cycles of abandonment and renewal, yet its commitment to Howell Mountain has never wavered. Today, under the direction of Chris Carpenter, that legacy is honed with precision. His approach is measured and site-driven, allowing the character of these historic vineyards to emerge fully.

At twelve years of age, the 2014 demonstrates precisely why Howell Mountain wines command such respect for their longevity. The structure remains firm, but the edges have softened, revealing a more expressive, layered profile. A natural freshness keeps the wine vibrant and lifted. It is a compelling reminder that wines from this elevation are built not merely to endure, but to evolve.

La Jota
Merlot 2014
Howell Mountain
Retails at: $100

Your Price: $85

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“Blended with 10% Petit Verdot, this age-worthy beauty is impressively oaked and tannic in its youth, with a concentration of densely packed red and black currants. Coconut shavings and vanilla appear from the background alongside black pepper and cinnamon. This should drink best from 2024–2034.”

94 Points, Cellar Selection

2021 Pedestal Merlot Columbia Valley

2021 Pedestal Merlot Columbia Valley

with No Comment $60-$70Columbia ValleyKevin VogtMerlotUSAWashington State

Pedestal

Merlot 2021
Columbia Valley

2021 Pedestal Merlot Columbia Valley

Washington State has proven, time and again, that Merlot thrives here, but Pedestal captures the variety at a particularly high register. The 2021 release reflects an approach centered on site expression, precision farming, and patient élevage, yielding a wine that delivers depth and polish. It is a Merlot built to command attention rather than chase it.

Pedestal is a product of the Long Shadows philosophy: pairing world-class vineyard sources with a singular, disciplined vision. In 2021, that vision comes into focus through a carefully assembled blend of Columbia Valley Merlot drawn from vineyards prized for consistency and character. The result is a wine that feels deliberately shaped to emphasize clarity, depth, and longevity.

Guiding the final expression is Michel Rolland, whose influence appears not through excess, but through control. Trained in Bordeaux and refined through decades of working with Merlot at the highest level, Rolland brings a philosophy rooted in balance, texture, and age-worthiness. The 2021 Pedestal reflects that sensibility at every turn: expressive, composed, and built to evolve with understated confidence.

Pedestal
Merlot 2021
Columbia Valley
Retails at: $75

Your Price: $68

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“A blend put together by the incredibly talented Michel Rolland, the 2021 Merlot Pedestal is based on 80% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 9% Petit Verdot that spent 22 months in 75% new French oak. Its deep plum/purple hue is followed by a brilliant, full-bodied, unctuous beauty that has loads of darker currant and black cherry fruits, some chocolate and leafy herbs notes, velvety tannins, and a layered mouthfeel that just begs to be drunk. It’s easily one of the finest expressions of Merlot in the state, and it would stand up just fine to some of the top Merlot releases from France and Napa. Drink bottles over the coming 10-15 years.”

96 Points

2022 Claudio Family Cellars Merlot Mt. Veeder

2022 Claudio Family Cellars Merlot Mt. Veeder

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtMerlotMt VeederNapaUSA

Claudio Family Cellars

Merlot 2022
Mt. Veeder

2022 Claudio Family Cellars Merlot Mt. Veeder

Claudio Family Cellars’ 2022 Merlot captures the vivid essence of mountain viticulture, blending intensity and grace into a wine of striking harmony. Grown on the rugged slopes of Mount Veeder, it reveals Merlot’s potential for depth and distinction when shaped by such untamed terroir. Winemaker Chris Jones has deftly crafted a wine that echoes the mountain’s raw energy while delivering a refined vibrancy that distinguishes it from the ordinary.

Jones’ journey to this creation is as compelling as the wine itself. Beginning as a home winemaker in Minnesota, his curiosity and drive carried him to Napa and Sonoma. There, he refined his craft through an internship at Sojourn Cellars before founding Claudio Family Cellars. His 2022 Mount Veeder Merlot reflects this arc—bold yet poised, it channels the mountain’s strength with clarity and elegance.

Mount Veeder, a scarce source of Napa’s output at under two percent, yields wines of rare concentration from its steep inclines and ancient, mineral-rich soils. The 2022 Merlot embodies this duality—rich yet precise, with layers of black cherry, violet, and wild sage unfolding alongside dark fruit and earthy nuance, culminating in a smooth, lingering finish. It’s a vivid example of Merlot’s ability to flourish in the high, wild reaches of the mountains.

Claudio Family Cellars
Merlot 2022
Mt. Veeder
Retails at: $40

Your Price: $29.99

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“The Claudio Family Cellars 2022 Merlot from Mt Veeder opens with fresh aromas of lavender, subtle herbal notes, cherry, raspberry, cloves, white pepper, and a graphite minerality. On the palate, the wine has a plush texture balanced with mountain fruit characteristics and flavors of red plum, vanilla, baking spices, and mocha. Mt Veeder is one of Napa Valley’s cooler growing environments, giving this wine elegance but with an excellent structure from this mountainside location.”

94 Points

2019 Pass Wines Merlot Coombsville Napa Valley

2019 Pass Wines Merlot Coombsville Napa Valley

with No Comment $30 and underCoombsvilleKevin VogtMerlotNapaUSA

Pass Wines

Merlot 2019
Coombsville, Napa Valley

2019 Pass Wines Merlot Coombsville Napa Valley

With a mere 96 cases produced, the 2019 Pass Wines Coombsville Merlot epitomizes the boutique spirit of Napa Valley. Each bottle reflects the meticulous craft of Ryan Pass, a UC Davis graduate who began his journey at Farella Vineyards in 2015. Under the mentorship of esteemed vintner Tom Farella, Ryan’s promotion to Winemaker in 2018 marked a pivotal moment in his career, where he gained invaluable insight from a master of the trade. His wines carry the legacy of that tutelage, emphasizing precision, artistry, and passion.

Vineyard partnerships are central to Ryan’s approach, where the terroir becomes the canvas for his creativity. He sourced from two distinct Coombsville vineyards for this Merlot, carefully selected to harmonize minerality, fruit, and spice. The result is a wine of profound elegance and sophistication, gently aged in neutral oak to retain its vibrant freshness.

This Merlot embodies not just the essence of Coombsville but also Ryan’s commitment to producing wines deeply connected to land and craft.

Pass Wines
Merlot 2019
Coombsville, Napa Valley
Retails at: $36

Your Price: $29.99

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“The Pass Wines 2019 Coombsville Merlot begins with a cool-climate-driven fruit characteristic with red and black cherries and plums, with the AVA’s signature volcanic minerality, resembling graphite, followed with notes of savory spice and cloves. On the palate, the wine has a dusty cocoa power component, mocha, and blackberries, with underlying spice and wet stones after a summer rain. This wine has brilliant acidity that intricately balances the fruit, spice, and mineral notes with a long, pleasant finish.”

96 Points

2019 Paloma Merlot Spring Mountain

2019 Paloma Merlot Spring Mountain

with No Comment $70-$80Kevin VogtMerlotNapaSpring MountainUSA

PALOMA

MERLOT 2019
SPRING MOUNTAIN

2019 Paloma Merlot Spring Mountain
Paloma Vineyard was founded in 1983 by Jim and Barbara Richards after receiving a call from Dan Duckhorn, who knew the couple was searching for the perfect place to cultivate vines. Jim and Barbara spent the next 25 years planting primarily Bordeaux varietals and building what would later become one of Napa’s most celebrated Merlot Vineyards. In 2003, their 2001 vintage Merlot ranked #1 on the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list, marking the first-ever domestic Merlot to earn that honor. 
 
Barbara’s devotion to the vines was particularly notable, having once claimed, “I can name all 7,500 of my children.” Jim and Barbara’s son, Sheldon, joined the team in 2003, spending the next several years learning the intricacies of viticulture and winemaking techniques from his parents. 
 
Paloma Merlot typically incorporates roughly 15% Cabernet Sauvignon to provide more structure to the final wine. The 2019 vintage was fermented and aged in French oak, then bottle-aged for 30 months before its release, promoting a refined integration of flavors, aromas, and supple tannins.
 
PALOMA
MERLOT 2019
SPRING MOUNTAIN
 
 
 
“The Paloma Spring Mountain Merlot 2019 begins with a fragrant nose of boysenberry jam, black plums, anise, French lavender, violets, and sweet vanilla. The palate continues with blackberry compote, concentrated black currants, Kalamata olives, baker’s chocolate, and licorice. This is a very dense, compact wine with amazingly concentrated, complex fruit interwoven with firm tannins that will allow it to age for well over a decade. As great as this wine is now, it will only improve over the next several years. I’ve enjoyed this wine over the decades, and this is the best vintage I can ever remember tasting.”
95 Points
2019 Mantanzas Creek Merlot Alexander Valley

2019 Mantanzas Creek Merlot Alexander Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Alexander ValleyKevin VogtMerlotNapaUSA

MATANZAS CREEK

MERLOT 2019
ALEXANDER VALLEY

2019 Mantanzas Creek Merlot Alexander Valley
The owners of Matanzas Creek launched operations in 1977 and built a reputation on sustainably farmed grapes and a beautiful lavender field, providing a haven for pollinators and promoting biodiversity. The winery is certified under the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and was one of the first wineries to bear the Certified California Sustainable logo on the label with the 2017 release.
 
The Merlot growing in Alexander Valley near the Mayacamas Mountains takes on a robust character due to the limited availability of water and the diverse soil composition. The grapes have a distinct power balanced by finesse, and the 2019 vintage is a fine example of the region’s terroir and the superior quality that Matanzas Creek is known for.
 
Professionally reviewed back in August 2022, this wine recently wowed our panel with focused, concentrated fruit, graphite, cocoa, inky blackberry, and fine tannins. 
 
MATANZAS CREEK
MERLOT 2019
ALEXANDER VALLEY
Retails at: $45
 
Your Price: $36
 
 
“The 2019 Merlot Alexander Valley is fleshy with aromas of cocoa, blackberry, and fresh turned soil, and its palate is supple in texture, with fine tannins and notes of red plum, red flowers, and cocoa. This red is perfect for youthful drinking over the next few years.” Tasted in August of 2022.
89 Points
2019 Ty Caton Upper Bench Merlot Moon Mountain District

2019 Ty Caton Upper Bench Merlot Moon Mountain District

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtMerlotMoon MountainSonomaUSA

TY CATON

UPPER BENCH MERLOT
MOON MOUNTAIN DISTRICT
SONOMA COUNTY 2019

2019 Ty Caton Upper Bench Merlot Moon Mountain District
Winemaker Ty Caton’s relentless drive to produce “wines of distinction with an authentic sense of place” began after he returned to his hometown of Sonoma and convinced his parents to develop their land in the Moon Mountain District. The region located North of Sonoma on the western slopes of the Mayacamas mountain range is now well known for producing intense, flavorful fruit with a volcanic minerality from the intricate complexity of the mountain soils not far from the Pacific Coast.
 
The estate’s three acres of Merlot thrive in the Upper Bench Vineyard with an east-to-west orientation on iron-clay soils that are particularly suited to this variety. The 2019 growing season was nearly perfect in Sonoma with long hang-times, even fruit development, and concentrated flavors that are deeply defined coming from Ty’s mastery in the vineyard and the winery.
 
TY CATON
UPPER BENCH MERLOT
MOON MOUNTAIN DISTRICT
SONOMA COUNTY 2019
Retails at: $42
 
 
 
“The Ty Caton 2019 Upper Bench Moon Mountain District Merlot opens with aromas of violets, ripe fruit, cherries, plums, and sweet baking spices. On the palate, the wine has a silky, smooth texture and flavors of blackberries, chocolate-covered cherries, mocha, and a fresh minerality. Give this a few years in the cellar for further development, or enjoy it now with its supple drinkability.”
93 Points
2019 Silverado Merlot Mt Geroge Vineyard Coombsville Napa Valley

2019 Silverado Merlot Mt Geroge Vineyard Coombsville Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50CoombsvilleKevin VogtMerlotNapaUSA

SILVERADO 

MERLOT 2019
MT GEROGE VINEYARD
COOMBSVILLE NAPA VALLEY

2019 Silverado Merlot Mt Geroge Vineyard Coombsville Napa Valley
Silverado Vineyards was founded in 1981 by Ron and Diane Miller and her mother, Lillian Disney, who was married to Walt Disney before his death. Silverado lies in the heart of Stags Leap District and today sustainably farms more than 300 acres to produce and bottle single-vineyard Cabernet, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Chardonnay, and several other varieties. The winery came under new ownership in 2022 by Bill and Carol Foley, who own around thirty successful wine brands, including Merus, Lancaster, Kuleto, and Foley Estate, and aim to keep the founders’ vision of Silverado Vineyards alive.
 
The Mt George Vineyard is the site of one of the first Napa Valley vineyard plantings in 1868, and the current Merlot plantings from 1989 and 1990 thrive on the well-drained, gravelly slopes of the ancient volcano. The characteristics of a cooler climate are apparent in this wine, which offers intense fruit flavors, spice, and deep color typical of the vineyard. The 2019 vintage yielded superior fruit quality with a friendly approachability and the structure necessary for cellaring. Our panel was thrilled by the wine’s impressive quality and agreed with James Suckling that it’s a hard wine to put down.
 
SILVERADO 
MERLOT 2019
MT GEROGE VINEYARD
COOMBSVILLE NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $65
 
Your Price: $45
 
 
“Aromas of pine, plum and redcurrant. Medium-bodied with fresh, mineral character and silky tannins. Bright and cool on the palate. Balanced and juicy. So approachable and delicious that it’s hard to put down. Drink now.”
93 Points
2018 Pope Valley Winery Merlot Napa Valley

2018 Pope Valley Winery Merlot Napa Valley

with No Comment $30 and underHowell MountainKevin VogtMerlotNapaUSA

POPE VALLEY WINERY

MERLOT 2018
NAPA VALLEY

2018 Pope Valley Winery Merlot Napa Valley
Pope Valley Winery is family owned and operated on the northern side of Howell Mountain in a more quaint, quiet part of Napa Valley. Ed Haus founded the property as the Burgundy Winery & Olive Oil Factory in 1897, and Eakle family purchased the historic winery a century later. Eager to elevate the winery to a new level with a new name and a small, passionate team, led by renowned winemaker Jean Hoefliger who’s drawn experience working in the cellars at Alpha Omega, AXR, Chateau Carbonnieux, and Chateau Lynch-Bages in Bordeaux.
 
The 2018 Merlot was grown in the Eakle Vineyard, known for its complex mineral soils that produce rich, distinctive wines with expressive character. The wine matured for 24 months in 40% new French oak barrels, and the final blend comprises 75% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Malbec and drinks fabulously with a silky smooth texture and lingering finish.
 
POPE VALLEY WINERY
MERLOT 2018
NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $38
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“A fragrant nose of mulberries, plums, dried herbs, roasted meat and spice box. Full body with fine-grained tannins. Layered, with a plush texture. Creamy and vibrant with a fresh, fruity finish. Drink or hold.”
91 Points
2018 Pedestal Merlot Columbia Valley

2018 Pedestal Merlot Columbia Valley

with No Comment $60-$70Columbia ValleyKevin VogtMerlotUSAWashington State

PEDESTAL

MERLOT 2018
COLUMBIA VALLEY

2018 Pedestal Merlot Columbia Valley
After two decades of building the Chateau Ste. Michelle brand and its affiliate wineries to international recognition, Washington wine icon Allen Shoup ventured into a new concept aimed at elevating Washington wines by bringing in renowned international winemakers to create super-premium wines. Allen hired ambitious French native Gilles Nicault to be the Director of Winemaking of his newest creation, Long Shadows, because of Gille’s knowledge and flexibility to help the consulting winemakers create their masterpieces.
 
World-renowned winemaker Michel Rolland consults for the Long Shadows Pedestal Columbia Valley Merlot, providing the vision for this wine from his hometown of Saint-Émilion, also home to some of the variety’s most famous producers. The 2018 Pedestal is 82% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Malbec, hand-harvested after an ideal autumn with cool nights giving the grapes a long hang-time to reach full ripeness without losing acidity for an outstanding balance and layers of indulgent flavors.
 
PEDESTAL
MERLOT 2018
COLUMBIA VALLEY
 
Your Price: $69.99
 
 
“An utterly spectacular showing from this exciting vintage. 82% Merlot with the remainder Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, this revels in its Turkish coffee aromas with sandalwood, dark currants, chocolate fudge and blueberry compote rounding out the bouquet. This presents a hedonistic bent with an intense mouthfeel and glorious length. Unabashedly big, the acidity and firm tannins hold this gorgeous core of blue and dark fruits in place.”
96 Points