From fruit that was picked before the Glass Fire, the 2020 Merlot Bancroft Ranch features a minty-herbal and cherry-scented nose accented by cedar and brown sugar. Medium to full-bodied, it's quite tart and juicy, with mouthwatering fruit, but also some drying tannins on the finish. Perhaps it will improve modestly with time, but it isn't a great vintage for this bottling.

Back when I was getting into wine, Beringer's Merlot from Bancroft Ranch was among the pacesetters for Napa Merlot—I have fond memories of the 1987, 1991 and 1994 version of this wine. The 2019 Merlot Bancroft Ranch is reassuringly excellent, with bold scents of mocha and black cherries leading the way on the nose. Full-bodied, rich and densely concentrated, with a pretty darn fantastic texture that lies somewhere between velvet and silk, the wine finishes long and mouthwatering.

Made of 100% Merlot aged in 50% new French oak for 20 months, the 2016 Merlot Bancroft Ranch is medium to deep garnet-purple colored and sings of warm black and red plums, black cherry compote and molten chocolate with touches of baking spices and underbrush. Full-bodied, concentrated and decadent, it has a soft texture and bags of juicy fruit, finishing spicy. 867 cases produced, to be released in February 2019.

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Merlot Bancroft Ranch has a nose of preserved plums, mulberries and fruitcake with hints of Chinese five spice, menthol, espresso and black pepper with a waft of licorice. The palate is big, rich, soft and seductive, beautifully framing the voluptuous fruit with velvety tannins and ample freshness, finishing long and spicy. 1,187 cases were made.

There are just over 1,000 cases of the 2014 Merlot Bancroft Ranch, one of the iconic vineyards of Beringer, high in white volcanic ash on Howell Mountain. This is classic Merlot. With its thick, juicy, succulent texture and loads of berry fruit interwoven with mocha and black chocolate, it is a fat, juicy, hedonistic pleasure bomb. Drink it over the next decade.