Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This was the first vintage where a lot of the post-phylloxera planted vineyards began producing fruit and I suspect that the average age of the vines was 3-4 years. It was a relatively cool growing season with moderate temperatures from spring through September. Both Ed Sbragia and his assistant winemaker, Laurie Hook, seemed to have done everything right in 2000, having learned from the two previous cooler than normal years that waiting is the best solution. A sleeper vintage for Beringer, the 2000 harvest took place over seven full weeks. Atypically, 98% of the fruit came from Howell Mountain, a lot from two new sources, Rancho del Oso and the Quarry Vineyard (which sits on the Rutherford/St. Helena appellation border). Ed, Laurie and I all agreed that this is a better wine than the 1999. Sweet black currant, blueberry and raspberry fruit intermixed with crushed rock and floral aromas jump from the glass of this sleeper of the vintage. The wine’s saturated purple color, heady, medium to full-bodied mouthfeel and supple tannins result in a delicious, nearly fully mature Cabernet Sauvignon that can be enjoyed over the next 10-15 years.
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.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.