Pahlmeyer Merlot California Napa 2003

 *Two stars* Very pure, precisely defined cherryish fruit sits juts beneath an enormous complement of vanillin oak and sweet, root-beer-like spice in the nose, and the tandem of cherries and creamy oak is at the heart of this extravagant wine's highly concentrated and enveloping flavors. There is no missing the Pahlmeyer stamp of extract and richness with this one, but, in this outing, the wine is remarkably well-balanced, and its deep and persistent flavors are in no way diminished or otherwise limited by the pushy heat peeking through its lingering finish.