Virtually all of the 4,000+ cases of Rancho Sisquoc's wines are sold via a mailing list or directly from the winery, so subscribers are not likely to see much of this producer's wines on retailers' shelves. Such is the case with many of Santa Barbara's highest quality wineries. This vast ranch includes over 200 acres, but most of the grapes are sold to wineries such as Robert Mondavi, Foxen, and Gainey. Even better than the Merlot is the 1989 Cellar Select Red wine, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. It exhibits that full, natural, unmanipulated, unprocessed taste that so many Santa Barbara wines share. The acidity is all natural, and the wine possesses a wonderful color, a great mouthfeel, a chewy texture, and copious quantities of red and black fruits nicely touched by subtle new oak. Drink this long, attractive wine over the next 6-7 years. Lamentably, readers will have to get on Rancho Sisquoc's mailing list in order to latch on to a few of these gems. Tel. (805) 934-4332