Flora's favorite, our Napa Valley Merlot is a soft, supple red wine made to open in the near term. The 2013 bears a red fruit bouquet of Bing cherry and red currant mixed with white chocolate, light cedar and acacia flowers. The mouth has a dense core of purple fruit, reminiscent of kirsch liqueur, and the wine's velvety tannins melt away on a sweet vanilla note. This wine is wonderful on its own - the way Flora enjoyed it - or it can be paired with a variety of dishes. Its forceful personality, bolstered by the streak of Malbec, make it a good match for almost anything a Cabernet would be paired with, such as steak au poivre, yet the wine's tannin structure is soft enough to pair with classic chicken piccata or a creamy butternut squash soup.