2023 Abeja Merlot Columbia Valley 6pk 6x750ml

Abeja is one of Washington's most respected Merlot producers, sourcing fruit from Columbia Valley's elite vineyards — Skysill, Ciel du Cheval, and old plantings at Bacchus and Dionysus. These are the sites that proved Washington Merlot could stand alongside anything from the Right Bank, with the structure and ageability Bordeaux drinkers respect.

The 2023 vintage delivered dense, well-structured wines with exceptional balance. This bottling shows the full expression of the year: dark currants and tar on the nose, heady dark fruits and chocolate on the palate, soft and supple texture with underlying verve. Owen Bargreen scored it 95 points and pegged the drinking window at fifteen-plus years. Wine Enthusiast called it "the prettiest Merlot I've had in quite some time" and awarded it 95 points for its symmetry between grip, acidity, and elegance.

The wine is dense but not heavy — blackberries and bittersweet dark chocolate meld with cedar and warm smoke, violets and wet stone lift the aromatics, and the tannins have a subtle grip that lets the fruit shine. This is serious Washington Merlot: built to cellar, drinking beautifully now.

Pull the cork tonight or cellar it a decade-plus. Either way, you're holding one of the Columbia Valley's finest expressions of the grape.