A bit unripe, with herb and mint flavors side by side with blackberry and cassis. Shows classic Napa mountain structure of tannins and acids, but the mint reprises on the sharp finish. Not an ager.——S.H.(4/1/2008)—— 85

Reverie’s vineyards are on a particularly high, steep slope of the mountain, and they make for wines that are tough in tannins when young, as this one is. It’s also very dry, and feels astringently unsatisfying. Most California Merlots are not aging wines, but this one has a solid core of fruit, and might emerge from its coma for a window between 2007 and 2009. ——S.H.(8/1/2006)—— 88