Duckhorn 2014 Merlot (Atlas Peak)

Country: US /
Variety: Merlot California
Winery: Duckhorn / Atlas Peak

Burly and brawny in tar and leather, this muscular wine is showy and yet totally delicious. It’s worthwhile and hard to resist in its full embrace of smoky oak, black-cherry liqueur and blackberry jam. Soft and succulent, it finishes as robust as it started—a good poster child for the oft-maligned variety.