Another Howell Mountain cuvee, the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Bancroft Ranch possesses copious amounts of minerality along with chocolate, black currant, black cherry, and dusty, loamy soil notes, and a medium-bodied, moderately tannic finish. 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