Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1997

To me, this is classic Cabernet Sauvignon that shows off both a great vintage and a great vineyard. The new vertical trellising systems give the grapes uniform exposure to air and sun, with solar flecks on the grapes all day that help them develop color and flavor very evenly. In the wine, the first impression is an explosion of the sweet, ripe cherry flavor we are lucky enough to get in our Knights Valley fruit. The flavors carry on full force right through the mid-palate, then end with what I call grip, really a textural component, a last little punch that makes the wine linger on the tongue. When growing conditions are just right, as they were in 1997, the vineyard gives me a gift like this one. -Ed Sbragia, Winemaster