2004 Beringer Merlot Bancroft Ranch Private Reserve
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Tasting notes
(includes 6% cabernet sauvignon and 4% cabernet franc) Good ruby-red. Currant, minerals, chocolate mint and a whiff of vanillin oak on the nose. Suave and lush on entry, then quite dry, juicy and aromatic in the middle palate, with black fruit flavors complicated by rocky and licorice elements. Tightens up on the firmly tannic finish.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The structured (it’s a mountain vineyard) 2004 Merlot Bancroft Ranch possesses a dark ruby/purple color and additional notes of cherries, plums, minerals and underbrush, high tannin, and impressive concentration as well as length. It should be cellared for several years, and enjoyed over the following 10-15 years. Previously recommended: 2005 Chardonnay Sbragia Limited Release (93), 2005 Chardonnay Private Reserve (93), 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve (92). Tel. (707) 963-7115; Fax (707) 963-1735
Red-ruby. Currant, musky espresso, mocha and nutty oak on the nose. Juicy and fairly intense, with moderate flesh for the year. Rather suave flavors of redcurrant, dried flowers and wild herbs are framed by a firm spine of acidity. A rather vinous, penetrating style of merlot, finishing with good length and a note of chocolatey oak.