Fish Eye Merlot Three, that come to my mind, though are more expensive are: 1. Joseph Phelps Napa Merlot 2. Groth Napa Merlot 3. Duckhorn Napa Merlot (really starting to get up there, but worth the splurge 4. Milat Napa Merlot (not likely to find often at retail, but again, worth the effort I'd suggest splurging on a bottle of Duckhorn, just to get a benchmark. This will not likely be one's "go to" Merlot, because of the price, but well worth doing once. Costo stores (Western US) often have the J Phelps and Groth at around US$25btl. IMO, Merlot, like Pinot Noir, are tough grapes to make really good wine from without the $'s required. A ton of inexpensive Merlot & PN are on the market, but very few offer real flavor and reward. If one has a limited budget for experimentation, I'd say to try several bottles from different producers, then on the next buying trip, buy just one, similar to the ones that I have listed (yes, one bottle will make about the same budget hit, as several lessor wines). Try it over the course of an evening, or few evenings, just to see where this grape can take you. One caveat: after you taste a really good Merlot, you might not want to go back - be warned! Note too, that the list that I included is a quick, off-the-top-o-the-head, and is NOT intended to be inclusive of all of the good ones. There are many out there, but these are perinnial favorites of mine. Hunt -- NewsGuy.Com 30Gb $9.95 Carry Forward and On Demand Bandwidth 
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