'Soft & plummy'... yes, but not always. Merlot vines produce big, juicy berries with thick skins—fruit and texture. On our plot, their feet are in red volcanic basalt—earth and fire. Each season calibrates these elements differently. Sometimes very differently. 2009 is a light, summery quaffer, whilst 2005 is a dark, earthy wagyu chaperone. Each vintage expresses the season that bore it, and will take you on a journey towards merlot enlightenment.