title: Newlan 1998 Merlot (Napa Valley)
description: The nose seems lean and vaguely unripe. You get aromas of chocolate and green olives, and the most distant whiff of meat. Of course there's a great deal of oak, including American, which lends vanillin and smoky notes, but still an impression of leanness carries through in the mouth. It struggles to say the word “fruit.” It's also very tannic. That aside, it may soften and improve in time.
variety: Merlot