2005 Merus Cabernet Sauvignon

(15.5% alcohol; blended with 4% petit verdot and 2% malbec) Good deep ruby. Black fruits, graphite, bitter chocolate and spices on the vibrant, quintessential cabernet nose. Sweet, lush and chewy, with terrific concentration to the flavors of blackcurrant, chocolate, mocha and minerals. Wonderfully full, sexy and deep for the vintage ("you'll find a lot of thin, high-alcohol wines in 2005," noted Mark Herold), but with lovely energy and lift at the same time. A firmly structured, ageworthy cabernet that finishes with big, broad tannins and excellent length. "It was a challenge to get our growers to drop crop in '05 but it was necessary owing to the size of the flowering and the cool summer," said Herold. "We picked into the beginning of November, and even then we decided to declassify the fruit that didn't ripen properly." A highly successful vintage for this bottling. Incidentally, Merus was recently purchased by William Foley, owner of Foley, Firestone and Lincourt, among other wineries. Foley hopes to find some prime Napa Valley vineyards for partners Herold and Erika Gottl, who until now have relied on purchased fruit to make their wine.

As for their own wines, all of which come from southern Napa sites in Oak Knoll and Coombsville, the 2005 is certainly one of the finest wines they have yet made. A 1,000-case blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot and Malbec, the wine is dense purple-colored to the rim, with an exquisite nose of charcoal, graphite, and blackberry liqueur. Full-bodied, with great power, richness, and sensational length, this wine will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle-age and last three decades. The husband and wife team of Mark Herold and his graphic designer wife, Erika Gottl, continue to play an increasingly important role in the production of high quality Cabernet Sauvignons from Napa, not only with their home wine, called Merus, but also with their consultancy work for wineries such as Kobalt, Kamen, Hestan, Harris Estate Vineyards, and Ardore. Previously recommended: 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (94), 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon (95). Tel. (707) 251-5551; Fax (707) 251-3782

(includes 2% each malbec and petit verdot) Deep, bright ruby. Reticent but pure aromas of black cherry, cassis, bitter chocolate, licorice and minerals. Broad in the mouth if not yet as filled in as the 2004; but this has a solid, dense core of sappy fruit and a firm shape. Less sweet and obvious than the 2004 but the acids are nicely integrated and the substantial, tongue-dusting tannins arrive late. Quite different in shape from the 2004 and potentially more sophisticated. "Two thousand five could have been an austere year for those who picked too early," observed Erika Gottl. "Here we find 2005 as lush and unctuous as 2004."