The 2006 Merlot is barely above average, with minty, berry, and cola-like notes intermixed in a medium-bodied, somewhat emaciated, austere style.All of the following wines were no doubt made under the old administration of founder and pioneer Warren Winiarski and not under the new owners, the Piero Antinori-led consortium that purchased this winery for $185+ million in 2007. Something obviously has happened over the years, as these wines suggest that the estate has been living off the status quo, somehow forgetting what they accomplished in the 1970s and 1980s. I still own some of the great vintages of Cask 23 from the late 1970s through the 1980s, and several vintages (for example, the 1978 and the 1985) are among the greatest wines in my personal collection. However, in the 1990s, the wines seemed to take on less concentration, complexity, and intensity, became more narrowly constructed, austere, and sadly, rather boring. I suspect we will see, in the red wines from 2007, and particularly in 2008 and 2009, a far higher level of quality from the new owners.Tel. (707) 944-2020; fax (707) 257-7501

Tough and herbal, lacking richness. Shows blackberry-infused coffee, sour black cherry candy and tobacco flavors, wrapped into firm, dry tannins. Ready now. ——S.H.(3/1/2010)—— 85