The 2019 Merlot Vintner Select is a gorgeous, nuanced wine. Here, too, my impression is of a wine that shows a bit less opulence than in the past. That's not a bad thing, as this site naturally yields wines of power. If this is a sign of where Pride is headed, that is a very, very good thing. Leather, tobacco, cedar, bay leaf, dried herbs and menthol give this surprisingly translucent, savory Merlot tons of character. 

The 2019 Merlot Vintner's Select is 100% Merlot but still blends fruit from both of the ranch's counties (it's 82% Napa and 18% Sonoma). Showing greater ripeness and purity than the regular bottling of Merlot, it oozes black cherries on the nose, tinged with cassis and hints of oak-derived scents of baking spices. Medium to full-bodied, it's ripe and expansive, flowing easily across the palate and leaving a plush trail of velvety texture and softly dusty tannins on the finish.