Guess who’s back? Back again? Saddleback! Tell a friend! Guess who’s back, guess who’s back, guess who’s back… na, na, na, na, na!

That’s the first rapper to win an Oscar and the first winemaker to attain perfection in Napa. “As I have written many times, Nils Venge has an extraordinary resume, having made fabulous wines in addition to producing the first 100-point Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa, the 1985 Groth Reserve” were his words. And if you’re looking for a Merlot to beat up on your heavyweight Cabs, you’ve found it.

This brings ALLLL that oomph, and then some. An absolute haymaker of a Merlot, built like a brick house full of sumo wrestlers. Yet there’s elegance and grace to spare, a feat that can only be accomplished by a true veteran like Venge.

The only thing that lightened up here? The price. Normally $65 but we’re dropping it under $40 for the day.

If we haven’t been clear enough, this is a FULL THROTTLE, Big Baller Swaller pure OAKVILLE Merlot. It’s a blend of two great sites, the Saddleback Estate and Fortuna Vineyard, a name you may recall from Turnbull or Carter Cellars, who source from this hidden gem near Screaming Eagle.

Of course, we always expect good things from Nils Venge and his Saddleback. The latter is a fixture in Oakville, around since the 1970s. Nils established his winery in the late ‘70s, on 14 prime acres. He then crafted that first-ever perfect-scoring California wine from his neighbor’s grapes. He also helped propel Charles Krug, Villa Mt. Eden, and Sterling Vineyards to the forefront of Napa’s wine scene.

This is more of the same Nils style: Lavishly oaked, with a rollicking tour de force of crushed blackberry, baked plums, baking spices, and Turkish figs. Quite the structure, too, with a sturdy but smooth tannic backbone holding it up. Give this one some breathing time before you serve it and preferably do so with a fat chonk of steak alongside.

No press, spare this glowing note from Tastings.com “Fruity aromas and flavors of cherry jelly, black olive, and chai tea with a round, bright, dry medium body and a complex, medium-long finish that shows impressions of chocolate-covered blueberry, spice, leather, and espresso with well-integrated tannins and light oak flavor. Long, dry and balanced with layers of fruit, leather, spiced olives and tea.”

What else can we say other than saddle up, cause these never last long around these parts!