00 Monbousquet, Saint Emilion Grand Cru

If you ever dreamt of a wine like this, you would need to buy new linens. The red eye aroma of burnt espresso brownies and stout flavors of sweet maduro tobacco, plums, and tar outsize any lay ideas of what merlot can be. There is no signature blueberry here; no thin, coddled finish. It's its own atmosphere, dense with layers of sappy fruit, smooth tannin, wood spices, and at least one bar of 80% cocoa. If anything, there's so much here it can be confusing. But the fresh Italian roast keeps me awake through it all. And you can tell that--once this has had more time to brew--somehow it will be better.