2007 Old Vines Merlot
Magnum

The Wine Advocate assessed this wine (in the summer of 2015) and awarded it 92 points, with a nod towards probably increasing that score at a future date.  Here’s what they wrote then:

“The 2007 Merlot Old Vines is another gracefully maturing oldie from Lenz that is available as a library release. The only problem with this array of oldies was deciding which was better. They were all simply superlative, a tribute to winemaker Eric Fry as well as Long Island. This is more or less ready, but it remains mouthcoating and powerful. With a certain and subtle lushness, it is well structured and gives hints of greatness as it airs out. It might yet develop into the best of the oldie group from Lenz. It might yet be entitled to an uptick.”

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It seems they had the same problem we did: These older reds are all very, very good, and consistent in their style and characteristics across vintages - - which makes picking favorites very hard.  Here are some of our seven tasters’ notes:

-          Still young; darkest in color; ‘reddest’

-          Excellent fruit: Red cherry, black raspberry, bramble, boysenberry

-          Silky, integrated tannins

-          Big, rich, full-bodied, with a long finish

-          Very ageworthy

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Interesting to note that this relatively younger wine had fewer comments along the lines of spice, truffle, barnyard, leather, and so on.  Those are marks of aging (in a good sense) and so this wine is still young and will bear further time in the cellar even though it is already delicious.