Winemaker Notes
This wine has rich aromas of dark cherry, anise, dark cocoa and toasted spices. Juicy flavor notes of black cherry, juicy plum, savory spices are highlighted by a concentrated mouthfeel and a rich, lengthy finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A fabulous wine for the appellation, Beringer’s 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Knights Valley boasts gorgeous integration of fruit, acidity and tannin. This is an especially silky, textured wine for Knights Valley. Blue and black fruit, grilled herbs, tobacco, sage and rosemary are all layered into this relatively succulent, round Cabernet Sauvignon. Sweet floral notes along with a hint of tar and violets add complexity on the finish. The 2010 is 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Cabernet Franc that spent 17 months in French oak barrels, 33% new. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030.
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Wine Spectator
Strikingly rich and layered, this is beautifully balanced, elegant and graceful, offering a tremendous mix of blackberry, mocha, melted black licorice and currant, ending with firm, grainy tannins. The push of ripe fruit is long and persistent.
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Wine & Spirits
A bright, sunny cabernet, this wine has elasticity in its tannins, seeming to snap the tobacco-scented dark berry fruit into place. Laurie Hook bases the reserve on vineyards on rockier soils, where the grapes gain greater concentration. This vintage lasts with a bold, earthy freshness, the tannins getting richer and more chocolate-edged as it takes on air (think Ancho chile mole). The dynamic flavors will add energy to a steak.
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Wine Enthusiast
Gobs of jammy blackberry and cherry fruit mark this dynamic young wine, along with enticing notes of spice, mocha and toasty oak. The tannins are thick, but velvety, making it drinkable now. The Knights Valley appellation is a kind of high-elevation bridge between Sonoma County and Napa Valley; the wine shows true Mayacamas Mountain intensity.
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.