Last night, my wife and I sampled (more like drank) a bottle of the Stags Leap Merlot kit we bottled about 3 months ago. Still very young, we decided to drink it, due to having three or four bottles that didn't cork very well, out of 60. Those bottles will be recycled. But to the wine, we let it breath for a bit and it opened nicely, a hint of oak coming through, the start of a nose of plums or maybe blackberries, not very well defined, yet. This kit makes a nice soft, smooth wine. I guess that is why we have made it four times and this time 12 gallons at once.