Nickel & Nickel, Oakville (Napa Valley) Merlot 2009

 If I were an aspiring vintner and planned to make Merlot in the Napa Valley, the first thing I would do is familiarize myself with the benchmark wines made from Napa Valley Merlot. My education would certainly include several vintages of Beringer Vineyards’ Howell Mountain Merlot, a deep vertical of all of the Merlot from Duckhorn that I could lay hands on, and many of the splendid efforts from Chappellet and St. Supery. To that list I would add the Nickel & Nickel Merlot from the Harris Vineyard in Oakville. In fact, I might even place the Harris Vineyard Merlot at the head of the class. The 2009 is merely the latest in a string of superb vintages from this property. It is a seamless wine with plenty of heft, well proportioned and well balanced, with inviting aromas of plum, strawberry and black fruits. And it was even better the second day after the bottle was opened, which bodes well. I seldom toss a $50 wine into the "value" category, but at $50 this may be the steal of the year in Napa Valley red wine.