2015 DeLille Cellars Merlot Red Willow Vineyard

The 2015 Merlot is outstanding, with a concentrated, rich style and classic notes of black cherries, dark chocolate, scorched earth, and tobacco. It’s deep, medium to full-bodied, has beautiful fruit, and a great finish. It’s certainly approachable today but will be even better with a year in bottle and keep for a decade. Owner/Winemaker Chris Upchurch compared the 2015s from Washington State to the 2009s from Bordeaux, and given the sweltering heat in 2015, I understand the comparison. However, the 2015s come across as more focused and classic in style, in part, I suspect to the vines shutting down throughout the summer and I think the true phenolics actually lag the 2012s, 2014s, and 2016s. These wines are concentrated, have notable purity, and building tannin. They’re going to benefit from short-term cellaring. As usual, I tasted the barrel samples during my visit at the estate and the bottled wines at my office in Colorado.