99' Pride Mountain Vineyards 99' Merlot

Zinfanman:

Pride makes a great Merlot, year after year. Can't wait to try the 2001 after a couple years, and the 01 Mountain Top a year or so after that.

Would agree that the Beringer HM Merlot is also a very serious wine. In a lower price class, I think the Whitehall Lane in good years, like 95 and 97, is a great buy in CA merlot; a rare find.

CabNut

Zinfan-
I agree with your score. I took a bottle for a nice dinner at Eva in Seattle and enjoyed immensely. I was surprised at how much life was there, which leads me to believe it will lay down nicely for a few more years. Nice, deep red with a big, complex nose of black fruits. Rich and concentrated with excellent balance. 93 pts.

A Cabernet a day keeps the doctor away.

An excellent Merlot and imho part of the underated '99 vintage(according to RP).

red4life

Second time with this wine. Still has dark ruby color. Sweet nose of cocoa, brown sugar and blackberry. Silky and nice balance. The early upfront richness has evolved into a smooth elegance. Tastes of sweet currant fruit with a bit of oak. Finish lasts about 20 seconds.

Those who like an upfront jammy merlot will think it's past its prime. Others who like an elegant balanced merlot will think it's just right.

It probably has 2+ years left but no reason to wait. 91 pts.