Alexander Valley in northern Sonoma County has a reputation for its velvety and voluptuous red wines with abundant dark fruit flavors often accompanied by a kiss of toasty oak. Merlot expresses these qualities quite nicely. The valley's warm, sunny and dry growing season enables Merlot's blend of red and black fruit to mature in a way that creates textured wines with rich, and an almost chocolate-like mouthfeel. A year in barrel rounds out the texture and integrates the wood and the wine.