Carter, Truchard Vyds Merlot, Los Carneros

Last bottle of this, and I must say I have been quite impressed with how this has come together and remained fresh with ripe red cherry, raspberry and dark plum fruit, leather, mineral and herb notes. The ABV is in check and the quality of this Oakville site shines in the merlot. Likely right about at peak is my guess here. I would not try to hang around for tertiary notes on this, as there is a strong oak influence …

Nose of anise, black fruits, leather and pepper. Velvity soft, w/ plum, black berry & black cherry and some spice. Excellent finish though still w/ some tension.

Big soft black and dark fruits and a hint of spice Very enjoyable right now.

Nose: Very expressive nose of black cherry, blackberries, spearmint, tobacco and some coffee bean notes. Dark fruit with nice nuances to the nose. Palate: Elegant palate feel and seemed more mid-weight than the wines beside it. Dark cherry, blackberry and mocha in the attack with herb and mint nuances beneath. Finish: Broad finisher with great merlot typicity left behind. Chocolate savings, cherry juice and leather notes in the finish. I am honestly shocked by some of the low scores here. …

Very nice for a Merlot that drinks like a Cab. Good structure and more tannic than I would expect for a Merlot. I wanted something special and this fits the bill. 2 down and 1 to go... too bad.

Big dark Merlot that is more like a Cabernet . Pleasing nose, dark berry and fruit. Big on the palate but fairly dry and tannic. The best is yet to come with this merlot, its big. I like it. 90.7 Points

This wine take a few hours to unravel. Good ripe firm tannin structure, with a long seductive finish. Needs more time to rest.

Big dark wine. Nose with dark currant and black fruit but also a fair amount of spice. Palate was big but fairly drying due to fairly large tannic presence which did not seem to benefit from time in the glass. Finish moderate but again influenced by the tannins. Overall, a good wine but inner beauty seems hidden by the tannins.

2010 Family Winemakers Tasting San Francisco; 8/22/2010-8/23/2010 (Fort Mason Festival Pavillon, San Francisco, California) : Black fruit, berry nose; black fruit, berry, espresso palate; medium-plus finish 91+ pts.

At a tasting. Dark ruby, dense. Black cherry, cedar. Medium full bodied. Fairly well structured. Dark fruits profile.

Should have waited. Way to young.