1997 Beringer

I don't really think that I am qualified to judge wines.  I don't think that I have a palate that is particularly strong and I don't have access to enough wines.  However, when I find a wine that brings a special place to mind (particularly when I'm not in that place when I drink the wine) I'll try to mention it.
One of those moments happened last night. As we sat down to a wonderful dinner, my wife and I grabbed a bottle of wine.  It happened to be a 1997 Beringer Private Reserve Bancroft Ranch Howell Mountain Merlot from Napa Valley.  We doubted that this bottle would show well as we had put this particular bottle through a number of moves, temperature swings, etc.  Well, this tasting would put EuroCaves out of business.  The wine was UNBELIEVABLE!  Of particular note was the nice balance between the fruit and body and the Napa nose. In fact it smelled so much like a hillside vineyard in Napa that one was almost transported there at the first whiff.   For those who claim that where a wine comes from has no effect, this kind of single vineyard offering proved them wrong.
While it is not everyday that one pulls a wine like this out, I urge you to find a wine from a great place and to try it. I think it will bring back good sense of the place.