Abeja Abeja Merlot 2017 750ml

Moderately saturated bright red-ruby. Sexy aromas of dark raspberry, mocha, red licorice, tobacco, minerals and cocoa nibs reminded me of a Right Bank wine. Plush, ripe and serious, with dusty herbs and spices enlivening the raspberry and plum fruit flavors; more red fruits than black here. Finishes with substantial but ripe well-integrated tannins and slowly building persistence. Not a powerhouse but uncommonly complex and refined for Washington Merlot. And more pliant at this stage than the 2016 was.