2008 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley Reserve

Far better than the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Knight’s Valley is the 1,500-case cuvee of 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Knight’s Valley. It possesses more chocolate, black currant and cherry fruit notes in addition to a silky texture, good depth, and a decade worth of aging potential. As always, Beringer sells all their single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons that make up the blend for the Private Reserve to their VIP customers at the winery or through their mailing list. Interestingly, each year when I taste through these wines, the sum of the individual parts is always the best wine. In short, the Private Reserve always seems to outscore and show more complexity than most of the single vineyard Cabernets. Nevertheless, it is an exercise in single vineyard terroirs and is an interesting process. Usually there are around 250 cases of each of these single vineyard offerings. The single vineyard offerings are all noteworthy, and analytically, they are more similar than dissimilar. The alcohols range from a low of 14.5% to 14.9%. Not surprisingly, one of my favorites, the Bancroft Ranch, was the largest component part of the Private Reserve. Tel. (707) 963-7115; Fax (707) 963-1735