Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine & Spirits
Fresh black currant flavors of the fruit from these rocky hillsides into a silken textural pleasure, balancing sweet and savory elements in a plump and luxurious cabernet.
Best buy -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Beringer’s 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon (Knights Valley) is endowed with serious minerality and tension. Firm tannins support an expressive core of dark red fruit, grilled herbs, asphalt and savory herbs, all of which come to life in a vibrant Cabernet Sauvignon long on personality and character. This is a serious wine for the money. Like so many wines in this vintage, it has tons of energy and vibrancy. If opened within the next few years, the 2010 is likely to require decanting to open up. The blend is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc.
Rating: 91+
As California's longest continuously operating winery, Beringer has been defining Napa Valley winemaking since it was founded by Jacob and Frederick Beringer in 1876. By continuing that pioneering spirit, Beringer established many 'firsts' as leaders in the wine industry. They were one of the first gravity fed facilities and among the first to operate using hand dug caves and cellars. Beringer were the first to give public tours in 1934, starting a Napa Valley hospitality tradition. They are the first and only winery to have both a red and a white wine named #1 Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator Magazine. Today, they proudly celebrate and remain true to their pioneering legacy.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
A small and picturesque valley separating Napa Valley on its south border and Alexander Valley to its north, Knights Valley excels in similar varieties as the two aforementioned appellations, namely red Bordeaux varieties and blends, as well as Sauvignon blanc. Originally established by Beringer Vineyards, today several outstanding producers claim acreage here. The circadian cooling effects of the nearby Pacific Ocean create a nighttime respite for vineyards during the hot growing season.