Winemaker Notes
A deeply colored and rich wine with substantial backbone and structure will make this 2017 vintage continue to reward after years of careful cellaring. With bright notes of black currant and blackberries and a lush, juicy mouthfeel, this wine is also very approachable in its youth. Complex layers of black fruit and notes of cocoa powder, graphite and light smoky oak mingle well with notes of espresso and vanilla. The ripe tannins support a full structure with balanced acidity leaving a lingering, elegant finish.
Blend: 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This shows really beautiful purity of fruit with polish and sophistication. The currant and cassis aromas are so enticing and really reflect the name of the wine. Medium to full body. Extremely fine tannins. Shows a level of freshness and agility that caresses the palate. Delicate and beautiful. Mostly Howell Mountain. Drink or hold.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve is brilliant, with a ripe, powerful style that’s going to age gracefully. Deep blackcurrants, dark chocolate, scorched earth, and graphite notes all emerge from this concentrated, powerful Cabernet that has ripe tannins, a big, rich mid-palate, and a great finish. It’s going to benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and keep for upwards of two decades with no issues.
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Wine Enthusiast
Thick and concentrated in dense layers of cedar, pencil shaving and currant, this reserve-worthy wine is substantial in body wight and power, with considerable oak impact, as it was aged 20 months in 80% new French oak. Still, it shows remarkable underlying beauty, complexity and structure. It is a blockbuster that will do well in the cellar. Enjoy best from 2027 through 2037.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Composed of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Cabernet Franc, the deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve springs from the glass with notions of red and black currant jelly, baker's chocolate, menthol and spice cake plus hints of violets, cedar and kirsch in the undercurrent. Medium to full-bodied, the palate reveals a firm, finely grained texture with tons of freshness backing up the generous fruit, finishing long and perfumed.
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Wine Spectator
Plush and forward, with creamed plum and blackberry puree flavors, carried by cocoa and warm loam notes. Everything knits nicely through the finish. A crowd-pleaser style. Drink now through 2029
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Wine & Spirits
An elegant vintage of Private Reserve, this is nearly two-thirds from Howell Mountain, specifically the iron-rich red soils of Steinhauer Ranch and the white volcanic tuff of Bancroft; another quarter of the blend comes from St. Helena (Beringer’s Home Vineyard and Chabot). The wine is tight and green at first, needing air to gain and lengthen its fruit scents of black cherries and blackberry seeds. Tense and floral, with subdued ripeness, this should age well.
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.