Abeja Columbia Valley Merlot 2023

Owen Bargreen : 95 Points

(10/24/2025) Like the 100% varietal ’22, the ’23 Abeja ‘Columbia Valley’ Merlot comes from outstanding sites such as Skysill, Ciel du Cheval, as well as old plantings at Bacchus and Dionysus Vineyards. Dark currants and tar mark the nose alongside shades of anise and graphite. This is dense, well-structured stuff with loads of heady dark fruits and chocolate. Soft and supple on the tongue, with great underlying verve, enjoy this beauty now and over the next fifteen plus years. Drink 2025-2040.

Wine Enthusiast : 95 Points

(5/1/2026) Editors' Choice. This fuller-bodied wine is the prettiest Merlot I've had in quite some time. The aromas are a delicate mix of violets, ripe boysenberries, blueberries and wet stones. Flavors of blackberries and bittersweet dark chocolate meld with accents of cedar and warm puffs of smoke from a clove cigarette. There is a nice symmetry here between tannins with a subtle grip, crisp acidity and a texture as elegant as sliding into a set of cotton sheets with an extremely high thread count.