Beringer Private Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

Jeb Dunnuck: "The flagship is the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve and its a blend of 97 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Petit Verdot and Malbec thats mostly from Howell Mountain, with small lots from St Helena, Spring Mountain, Mount Veeder, and Calistoga. Aged 20 months in 82 percent new French oak, it sports an inky, opaque color to go with killer notes of blackcurrants, scorched earth, hints of oak, graphite and minerality. Rich, full-bodied and beautifully concentrated, its tight and backward, and is more reminiscent of a 2013 than a 2014. It has the purity to drink nicely today, yet needs 4-5 years of cellaring to show its potential. Maturity: 2022 - 2047." Dec 2017 Robert Parker, Jr., The Wine Advocate: "Always the best of all of them is the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve, which in this vintage is a blend of 62 percent from their Howell Mountain holdings, 22 percent from St. Helena, 7 percent from Spring Mountain, 7 percent from Mt. Veeder and the rest from other sources. Only 7,383 cases were made of this blend of 97 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot and Petit Verdot. The wine has an inky purple color, a big, sweet kiss of pen ink, graphite, cedar wood, licorice, blackberries and blackcurrants with some background oak, but its dominated by the fruit extract and the full-bodied richness and glycerin this wine possesses. The texture is open and lush, and the wine more forward and sexy than the 2013 was at a similar stage of development. It should drink well for 20-25 years, as these wines have an impeccable track record of ageability. Drink date: 2016 - 2041." Winery: "With each vintage of the acclaimed Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, the Beringer winemaker chooses the best lots from our reserve vineyards in the Napa Valley, each of which demonstrates remarkable expression of terroir. Beringers extraordinary collection of vineyards is the result of a significant and decades-long relationship between viticulture and winemaking. Open and approachable, with soft and silky tannins, this expression of Private Reserve shows plenty of dark fruit aromas and flavors, with blueberry, blackberry and black cherry much in evidence alongside aromas of violets, licorice and evident oak spice. Wonderful upon release, the wine will reward patient aging for many years. Bottle:750ml, corkVarietal:96 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 3 percent Cabernet Franc, 1 percent Petite VerdotAlcohol:15.2 percentTotal Acidity:5.8g/LpH:3.92Aging:20 months in new French oak, 82 percent newRegion:Napa Valley, California