Wine Advocate | Robert Parker | June 30, 2011 97 points "One of the finest Private Reserves made over the last two decades, this phenomenal wine is obviously still an infant in terms of development, but it exhibits a dense purple color as well as an extraordinary nose of blackberries, white chocolate, licorice, tobacco leaf, smoky barbecue, charcoal and a burning ember-like note reminiscent of a Graves from Bordeaux. A dense, luscious, full-bodied, opulent style, with sweet tannin, this locked and loaded, intense, full throttle Private Reserve should be accessible in 5-6 years and last for 25-30." Vineyards With each vintage of the acclaimed Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Beringer Winemaker Laurie Hook chooses the best lots from our reserve vineyards in the Napa Valley, each of which demonstrate remarkable expression of terroir. Beringer’s extraordinary collection of vineyards is the result of a significant and decades-long relationship between viticulture and winemaking. This partnership began with Ed Sbragia and Bob Steinhauer in the 1970’s, when they worked tirelessly to identify vineyards that would produce the rich, intensely colored and flavored Cabernet Sauvignon grapes required for the Private Reserve. Just as critical as the relationship between viticulture and winemaking is the collaboration between Winemaker Laurie Hook and Ed Sbragia that has shaped the Reserve portfolio. Laurie and Ed have been working together since the 1980’s and that consistency is reflected in the 2007 vintage. Our Howell Mountain vineyards comprise the majority of the blend, lending their telltale structure and richness to the wine. Smaller contributions from vineyards in the Spring Mountain, Mt. Veeder and St. Helena appellations round out the wine and add to its immediately generous aromas and palate. Vintage The 2007 growing season began with a moderately warm winter, which was followed by a very mild spring and summer. This prompted an even, steady ripening in the grapes out in the vineyards and nice development of acids, sugars and phenolics. The dryness of the season resulted in smaller berries and clusters, with a notable concentration of flavors. Grapes for the 2007 Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon were harvested between September 10 and October 24. Winemaking The Beringer reserve vineyards offer Cabernet Sauvignon of such quality that a minimalist approach to winemaking has long defined this special blend. Each vineyard is vinified separately and monitored carefully by Laurie, from the moment the fruit comes into the winery at Harvest. She uses tailored pump-over techniques for optimal extraction, and ages the wines in hand-selected, custom-toasted barrels of new French Nevers oak. Each lot was aged for almost two years before selection of the final blend, to allow each vineyard to express the depth of its unique terroir. The 2007 Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon offers aromas of black currant, star anise and wild mint. Plush flavors of blackberry, cardamom and bittersweet cocoa are accented by mouth-coating tannins and a luscious finish. 2007 Components: • Cabernet Sauvignon: Bancroft Ranch (34%) • Steinhauer (33%) • Chabot (8%) • Lampyridae (8%) • St. Helena Home (6%) • Marston (5%) • Rancho del Oso (3%) • Steinhauer Cabernet Franc (2%) • Bancroft Ranch Cabernet Franc (1%)

Wine Spectator | James Laube | 94 points "Beringer ups the ante with its Knights Valley red; this offers rich, smooth, layered flavors of blackberry, wild berry, plum and cassis. Full bodied yet graceful and elegant, most interesting on the finish, where the flavors glide along and pick up a subtle lift of spice and mocha. Drink now through 2024. Beringer Vineyards has owned and farmed its Knights Valley vineyards since the mid-1960’s, when the Beringer family recognized that the cobbley, rocky alluvial soils were a great place to grow high quality wine grapes. The Knights Valley designation was first used on a Beringer label in 1974. Beringer was instrumental in garnering official recognition for the area in 1983 as a premier wine growing region in the form of its own American Viticulture Area (AVA) designation. Vintage & Vineyard The 2009 growing season was marked by a mild season overall. Light spring rains gave way to a serene, warm summer. Temperatures stayed even through August, giving the grapes an ideal timeframe in which to develop good acidity and phenolics. Overall yields were on the smaller side, making for intense varietal characteristics and flavor development immediately evident at Harvest. Located 17 miles northwest of the winery, Knights Valley vineyard is approximately 600 acres, and has volcanic, well-drained soils that are perfectly suited to Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Grapes for the 2009 Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon were harvested between September 22nd and October 26th. Winemaking To maintain the unique characteristics of the different lots from varying areas of the vineyard, the winemaker kept them all separate through vinification and aging. Extended maceration created larger tannins to enhance the lush mouthfeel of the blend and extracted a maximum of color, aromas and flavors. The wines were then aged in small French Nevers oak barrels (28% new) for fifteen months and underwent malolactic fermentation for further development of texture and mouthfeel. After aging, winemaker blended the lots of Cabernet Sauvignon to highlight Knights Valley’s characteristically bright black cherry fruit.

Wine Spectator | James Laube | December, 2011, RATED 91 POINTS WINE SPECTATOR "A lot of Cabernet at this price. Combines ripe, plump, plum, black cherry and black berry flavors in a rich, smooth, polished style, full bodied and firming nicely on the finish, where the tannins have a minerally edge. Drink now through 2021." The 2009 Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon has aromas of clove, allspice, lavender, and cocoa. Juicy flavors of blackberry, sweet tobacco, and pink pepper are accented by fine, approachable tannins, nice body and a rich finish. 3602 cases produced !

At the Bronze Level the Connoisseur Club selections are Villa Antinori Rosso 2007 and the Tenuta Guado al Tasso, Il Bruciato, 2008. The Rosso was really the first Chianti produced for aging possibilities but is no longer considered a Chianti because of the grape compositions. Each varietal in the blend is grown in the terroir best suited to it: sangiovense 55% in the Chianti Classico area,merlot and cabernet sauvignon in the Bolgheri estates, and syrah 5% in Cortona. The Villa Antinori Rosso is an intense ruby red in color and is a well structured wine with aromas of ripe fruit, plum jam, mint, chocolate and tobacco. The Tenuta Guada al Tasso, refers to "The Badger's Ford" due to its numerous 4 legged inhabitants, and Il Bruciato refers to the "burned", named after a wooded area on the GUado al Tasso estate that was destroyed by a famous fire in the early 1900's. The wine is a compination of 50% Cabernet, 30% Merlot, 20% Syrah with an alcohol content of over 13%.

Pian Delle Vigne 2006 The Pian delle Vigne Estate is located 35 miles south of Montalcino and was named after the characteristic 19th century train station located on the property, which is still in use. The soil is stony and calcareous in composition with tufaceous areas. The estate comprises 75 acres of vineyards. Brunello di Montalcino is produced exclusively from Sangiovese in accordance with the strict standards of the DOCG. The 2006 Pian delle Vigne Brunello was rated a 92 by the Wine Spectator, and given Tre Bicchiari by Gambiera Rosso, the foremost Italian WIne publication.

The original Super Tuscan, Tignanello is produced exclusively from a 116-acre vineyard site at Antinori’s Tignanello Estate. The vineyards are southwest facing, with calcareous rocky-marl and limestone soils with tufaceous elements, locally called alberese rocks. They are planted between 1,150 and 1,312 feet above sea level. Soils are free draining and produce intensely flavorful grapes and low yields— around 3 tons per acre or less. Tignanello was the first Sangiovese to be aged in small oak barrels, the first Italian red wine in modern times to use a non-traditional grape variety, Cabernet, in the blend and among the first Italian red wines made in Chianti with no white grapes. With the 1971 vintage, the wine was named Tignanello, and in 1975, white grapes were eliminated from the vineyard and the blend. Since the 1982 vintage, the vineyard and wine blend has been 80% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. Tignanello was not produced in the 1972, 1973,1974, 1976, 1984, 1992 and 2002 vintages. The wine has an intense ruby red color. Notes of ripe, red fruit and jam give way to spice, vanilla and licorice. Well-managed tannind and balanced acidity provide suppleness and lead to a long, lingering finish.

If you read the bit about Alexander the Grape you might be prepared for these "starlets" of the wine industry. Each December the Wine Spectator releases its assessment of the world of wine, much like the Academy Awards. Except in the case of wines many of the bottles have NEVER been heard of, are so limited in production, or soooo outrageously priced, that , if it were a film, it would have played in Topeka for 10 minutes and cost $1000 for the viewing. The GOOD NEWS is that this year the selection has come back down to earth and many of the wines are highly rated and readily available. Not the top 10 certainly but perhaps 10 of the Top 100 are available in Ohio. So this month I put together 3 wines for the Gold and Silver group and 2 wines for the Bronze level which are part of the august Top 100 wines. See if drinking them makes you feel any more snobish ! From Oregon Rex Hill Pinot Noir #38, from Argentina, Bodedga Catena Zapata Malbec, #58 and from Australia, a Grand Barossa Shiraz, rated #33. If you like them, order a mixed case and lay them down in your wine cellar. Gene Veronesi

The young Alexander the Great , when asked if he would rather live a long or a short life, is purported to have answered, that he would rather be considered a shooting star, brilliant but momentary, rather than a fixed star, not as bright but longer lasting ! So why am I starting this month’s Connoisseur Club selection with a bit of esoteric chit chat? When the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list came out last week, it seemed much more democratic than in past years. Most of the wines were rated in the 90’s and were under $50.00 a bottle !!! In these economic times, it seems sensible. But when it came to obtaining several of the wines, i.e. Kosta Browne Pinot Noir and Hall Cabernet I was told either than they had not arrived yet, or that they were sold out, or, as in the case of a high ranked Italian wine, the distributor claimed they were not aware that they even carried the wine !(this is true, I am not making any of this up) They found it in their catelogue then promptly claimed they had none left !!!! Then I thought of good old Alexander the Great, the brilliant one shot wonders of the $100 plus wines, and decided to go a different direction for the Connoisseur Club. For December I have selected three wines for the Club , all in the top 100 Selection, and wines which will be available all year long, are of great quality, and good breeding as well. We are sending out the #33, #38, and #58 to the different levels of the Club. Now, if the weather will only cooperate we can sit, look out our windows, and enjoy many glasses of great wine, watch many shooting stars dazzle us, and we still will have enough for continued star gazing. Sometimes Bling is not such a wise thing. Look what happened to Alex. He died at the age of 32. Drowned in a dirty river of water…not wine. And they claim that drinking is harmful !

CLOSEOUTS CAVE POTATOR… maybe.

I have been waiting for this conjunction in time when both the 2007 BV Georges de la Tour Private Reserve 2007 Cabernet for the Gold Standard, and the 2007 BV Tabestry at the Bronze Level, would be in Ohio. The 2007 vintage is the greatest vintage in Napa since the spectacular 1970 harvest. And, over the course of many decades, the Georges de la Tour has consistantly out performed other first growth California cabernets. This is a wine to be cellered for perhaps another 4-5 years and will be reaching its peak just about the time we are our of the recession....20-25 years ! (joke) The BV Tapestry I thought (incorrectly) was going to be the Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year in the Top 100 Selection. Rated a mere 92 it still outranks most of the California reds costing twice and three times the price. If I were to be starting a cellar, this would be the core of my collection and I would lay down a case. It is that Good.