Chocolate, berry, bay leaf, and forest floor notes emerge from the 2006 Merlot Bancroft Ranch, a more concentrated, bigger-framed, denser wine with more obvious oak. It needs 1-2 years of bottle age to shed some of its tannin. It should last for 15 years. As I have written in the past, Beringer offers between 200-250 cases of each of their single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons that go into their Private Reserve program. Interestingly, as good as the single vineyard cuvees tend to be, and they’re all very different, the Private Reserve blend is as good or better than the finest single vineyard, demonstrating that the blending process is essential and important. Tel. (707) 963-7115; Fax (707) 963-1735