Winemaker Notes
Blend: 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec, 1% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is really focused, with brightness to the sweet tobacco and berries. Medium-bodied with bright acidity, finesse and drink ability. Very fine. Ripe-currant center-palate. 87% cabernet sauvignon, 8% merlot, 2% cabernet franc, 2% malbec and 1% petit verdot.
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Wine & Spirits
This grows at Beringer’s 600-acre Knight’s Valley ranch, in the hills west of Calistoga, where the harvest in 2019 extended from mid- to late October. The wine sustains the cool elegance this vineyard can give to Cabernet, a supple, high-elevation wine with gentle ripeness, lasting on notes of tarragon and fresh garden herbs. Best buy.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
There were more than 160,000 cases of the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley produced, so it's good to see that it is performing well. There's an attractive floral top note that adds a touch of complexity to the cassis fruit, while the medium to full-bodied palate is silky and even elegant. It's a better wine—and far better value—than many entry-level wines sourced from Napa Valley.
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.