The 2005 Merlot is dark ruby-colored with a nose of pain grille, cassis, and red currants. This is followed by a medium-bodied wine with flavors of spicy black cherry and other red fruits. It has good balance but is slightly compact in the finish. Drink this tasty Merlot over the next 10 years.
The good news is that the best is yet to come from Abeja. I tasted barrel samples of a 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. The 2005 Cabernet blows away the 2004, and the 2005 Reserve is even better. The winery has 32 acres of estate vineyards in the Walla Walla AVA, and starting with the 2005 vintage, an increasing amount of the production will come from those vines.
Broad and generous. A juicy mouthful of raspberry, blueberry and white pepper flavors, lingering nicely on the smooth, mocha-scented finish. Drink now through 2013.
