The outstanding 2005 Merlot Bancroft Ranch represents Merlot at its finest. Sexy, chocolaty, black cherry and berry fruit intermix with loamy soil and coffee bean nuances, and are impressively presented in this full-bodied, attractive, elegant Merlot. It should drink nicely for a decade or more. Beringer continues to turn out an impressive array of wines, proving that a gigantic global operation can be focused on quality and character. Beringer’s Pinot Noir program continues to show more and more promise. Beringer’s Cabernet Sauvignon program includes two outstanding bargains, one from Knight’s Valley and one from Napa. They are both serious Cabernet Sauvignons meant to be drunk young, but both are capable of lasting a decade or more. For their Private Club members, Beringer offers approximately 200 cases of all the single vineyards that go into their Private Reserve cuvee. I’ll keep my tasting notes brief since these wines are only available to Private Club members. However, it is always interesting that, aside from two or three of the single vineyards, the Private Reserve final blend is always the finest wine of the group. This has been proven time and time again at these tastings.Tel. (707) 963-7115; Fax (707) 963-1735

Gigantic, huge. Just erupts with the most intense cassis, chocolate and smoky new oak. Classic Howell Mountain structure, with dense, sweet young tannins and firm acidity. So immature, it’s sappy and jammy now, and is sorely in need of cellaring. Don’t touch before 2011, and should provide enjoyment for many years after.——S.H.(5/1/2009)—— 94