1986 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Chabot Vineyard

At the Napa Valley tasting, Beringer's 1986 Cabernet Sauvignon Chabot Vineyard seemed over the hill, as if it had been poorly stored. A bottle from my cellar was another animal altogether. My tasting notes on that latter bottle reveal a wine with a dark ruby/purple color with amber at the edge, an expressive, chocolatey, smoky, licorice, sweet blackcurrant-scented nose, powerfully concentrated, thick, chewy, earthy flavors, and moderate tannin. This full-bodied, muscular, rich wine is just beginning to reach full maturity. It should drink well for another decade. The tasting notes for this section are from two single blind tastings, one conducted in May, 1996, in California, and the other in June, 1996, in Baltimore.