Review Date: 01-18-2010

not sure about the scoring system...
this is hit or miss, apparently Billington had some issues when they sold off their inventory...

bought several cases, intending to store some, thought came out of the bottle too early; not a big fan

with that said, some bottles might have been "cooked" temperature damaged somewhere along the chain...(as others have said in other online reviews)

some bottles were very syrupy, and alcohol heavy, would say they are not even close to the listed alcohol content as stated on the bottle

some bottles that did open up were oaky, almost an herbal finish with a hint of tea..

Based on the price, if you are a merlot drinker, not bad (not great either)..You could easily find better Napa Merlot and fruit; however not in this price-point! Some WA State Merlots from Columbia Valley blow this away in the $10 range! just my opinion!

Was a huge fan of their Black and Blue!!!