PEPPER BRIDGE Merlot 2017

(Walla Walla, WA) $55

Washington State’s top merlots are anything but wimpy. Dramatic, intensely flavored, and bold, they are wines of great structure. More than one commentator has compared them to the St. Emilions of Bordeaux. For me, Pepper Bridge is a perfect example. For all of the wine’s plushness and spice, it also has great energy and drive. Plus, there’s a fantastic earthy “dustiness” to the wine—a character I associate with the far eastern region Walla Walla (and with Rutherford in the Napa Valley). Pepper Bridge was founded in 1998 by three Washington wine industry veterans—Norm McKibben, Jean-François Pellet and Ray Goff. (14.5% abv)

94 points KM

Available at Pepper Bridge Winery