Sparkling clear bright ruby–just perfect and glowing and red with pink edges.  Little musk up front blows off quickly into a full, round, fresh-cut weeds, ground coffee, chocolate.  A nice chunk of sweet oak, but a nice chunk of sweet mint, too, so everything manageable.  Really a quite delectable bouquet.  Moroccan, almost.  Just enough musk to heat things up and then a little spice to drive it home.  I love a Merlot which can bat with the Cab Boys.  Mouthfeel… is… a… bit… meager.  Typical MT.  Comes on all hard and wonderful and then just goes all limp in the mouth.  This one actually does a pretty good job keepin things up, as the briar and exotic goes all through the mouth and drives the finish.  Fruit is a little poached in the first half–one is just expecting SO MUCH MORE from the initial packaging–and honestly carries itself through great acidity until fading into crisp tannin.  This is a pretty great little MT.  You just have to be expecting the disappointment which–always–comes behind the initial attraction of a Merlot.  14-1   ♦