Beringer Founders Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

The soft cherry, blackberry and subtle vanilla aromas and flavors of this wine are balanced by spicy herbal notes and soft, accessible tannins. This wine makes a perfect accompaniment to roast beef, grilled fresh tuna or roast leg of lamb. Eighty-five percent of the wine for the Beringer Founders' Estate Cabernet Sauvignon was aged for over 5 months in a combination of small French and American oak barrels. The oak barrel-aging softens the tannins in the wine and adds subtle hints of toast and oak to this wine's rich red and black berry flavors. Winemaker Ed Sbragia added small amounts of Syrah, Petit Sirah, Cabernet Franc and Merlot to the final blend for increased complexity and balance.