HISTORY

Beringer Private Reserve represents the pinnacle of the portfolio. Former Chief Winemakers Myron Nightingale and Ed Sbragia created the Private Reserve program in 1977 with the goal of crafting Napa’s finest Cabernet Sauvignon. These wines have earned three decades of extraordinary accolades, including two “Wine of the Year” awards. The brothers Frederick and Jacob Beringer established Beringer in 1876 in the belief that Napa could be a premier wine-growing region like Germany’s Rhine River Valley, from which they hailed. The brothers quickly made Beringer famous for producing world-class wines, a legacy that continues to this day and reaches its finest expression in our Private Reserve series. To make these small-production wines, fifth-generation winemaker Mark Beringer chooses the best lots from our reserve vineyards in the Napa Valley, each demonstrating a different aspect of Napa’s prized terroir. Beringer’s Private Reserve wines have become famous as one of the truest expressions of a given vintage.

TASTING NOTE

Richly garnet and purple colored, the wine opens with aromas of oak spice and dark black fruits framed with chocolate mocha. Flavors follow the aromas, with dominant mountain blackberries, plum and cassis accented by black truffles. The fruit is opulent with soft, silky tannins and great structure. A wine built for the ages, with much yet to be revealed.

VINEYARD NOTES

A classic blend of mountain and valley fruit yields both structure and richness. The tufa-rich Bancroft Ranch and volcanic Steinhauer Ranch vineyards atop Howell Mountain provide the foundation (62%) for the 2015 blend. A significant portion also comes from the iron-rich Home and Chabot vineyards (28%) in the St. Helena AVA. Spring Mountain’s Marston Ranch and Mt. Veeder’s Derr Family vineyards (10%) round out the final blend. Harvest occurred between September 10th and October 20th.

VINTAGE NOTE

Yields were down in 2015 as a result of the continuing drought and further reduced by cold weather during flowering. However, a warm summer with almost no rain allowed for optimal ripening, and the resulting harvest, while small, was of outstanding quality. Grapes are small and packed with flavor and color, creating wines with excellent extraction and structure.

WINEMAKING NOTE

Beringer’s 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 tailored pump-over techniques are used for optimal extraction. The wine is aged for 20 months in hand-selected, custom-toasted barrels of French Nevers oak (85% new) before assemblage, where winemaker Mark Beringer prioritizes the expression of vintage and our vineyards’ unique terroir.