Pedestal Merlot 2017 | 750 ml.

WE93 Wine Enthusiast 7/1/2021

"A bittersweet chocolate aroma is at the fore, followed by notes of herbs, plum, cherry and carob. Rich, intense, plentiful fruit flavors follow. There’s a lot of textural richness, upping the appeal. Give it some additional bottle age to see it at its best. Enjoy after 2024." (93 pts.)

JD95 Jeb Dunnuck 4/15/2020

"Beautiful cassis, chocolate, leafy herbs, and earth all emerge from the 2017 Pedestal, a ripe, sexy, opulent wine that does everything right. A blend put together by Michel Rolland and aged 22 months in 86% new French oak, it’s beautiful today yet is going to cruise in cool cellars for 15 years or more. (Jeb Dunnuck)" (95 pts.)

VN92+ Vinous Dec 2020

"Bright ruby-red. Musky aromas of dark raspberry, tobacco leaf, dark chocolate, smoky oak and menthol are serious and brooding for Merlot. Concentrated, plush and tactile on the palate, with dark raspberry, mocha, woodsmoke, menthol and subtle herb flavors conveying serious energy. Finishes subtle, spicy and very long, with firm but suave tannins giving the wine the backbone to evolve slowly and gracefully. In a more gentle style than the more tightly coiled 2016, but this is still a solidly built Merlot that does not need its Cabernet Sauvignon component for structure. No easy sweetness here." (92+ pts.)