Big fan of BPR. Have been eyeing this one on the wine list for about a year (Soby’s in Greenville SC). Finally took a chance. Beautifully preserved. No signs of age damage. Seems more fruity than more recent vintages. After decanting, improved with time. An excellent bottle.
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Still vibrant wine with no signs of old age. Dark-fruit aromas overlaid by floral and even honey notes, which become more prominent with decanting. Juicy black fruits, structured. The only imperfections I found: a bit dry tannins and relative simplicity (absence of that extra layer that sometimes makes wines even more exciting)
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Initial nose was unpleasant and was concerned about how wine would present. Actually opened and drank well after about 30 minutes. Carmel notes became dominant and really enjoyed more than 87, Cadmus 87, and Spottswood 88.
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Decanted and served. Thank you to whoever stored this bottle perfectly with a cork that looked about 25 years younger! Kept improving over two hours. Classic-style Napa Cabernet with cherries and spice on the nose, mature tannins, medium acid, plenty of mature cassis left, full body. Great survivor.
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Tasted alongside the 1985 vintage of same. Slight bricking color. Mature, nicely evolved nose. A bit leaner and higher acidity than the 85, but still nice. Not great. Could very well be on the decline. Drink up...
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I drank this last wek along with a '90 and a '91 vintage. I've recently drank a '76 and a '78 Beringer Reserve Cabs out of my cellar which were stunning. This '86 was long gone and raisin-ey.
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Riper than the '86 Mondavi I had last year. A bit of funk and heat on the nose, with a clear savory, meaty, dry aged steak-like note of soy sauce. It's as if I'm smelling umami. Dark ripe fruit on the palate, a rounded texture, a good amount of acid and dusty finish. Slightly passed peak but still enjoyable. Time to drink up.
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The nose showed classic Bordeaux/Cab notes. But the palate was very lean without a lot of complexity. A nice wine to be sure but a notch below what you would hope for the pedigree. Best with food.
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Excellent provenance. 80's cabernet, when done well, has so much in common with Left Bank BDX. This bottle was in a secondary phase, but still plenty of soft plummy fruit with an herbal undertone. Enjoyed immensely (and then followed with the '02 vintage of the same wine - really a cool experience all around).
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Not a vintage of Cali I have much experience with, but what a great showing. Black cherry and black currant, cedar, smoke, and hint of cocoa. Tannins are resolved, acids are balance, finish is long. Not usually a buyer of Beringer but at least in this era I should be. A-
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Superb. The label was half gone, and the remaining bits were mould-stained. But the cork was tight, solid and clean, and the wine was incredibly fresh and vibrant. It had clearly been sitting in the same position for years, as the sediment was caked all up one side of the bottle. Excellent balance between the fruit and acidity, fully resolved tannins, gorgeous red and black fruit, licorice notes, and hints of smokiness. A perfect pairing with grilled rib eye.
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Opened at restaurant for my son's 31st birthday.. No decant. This was simply a superb bottle. Dark in color, with a flowery fragrance. On the palate lush dark fruit (black cherry, black currant, plums) and definitely some mocha/chocolate nuances. Very silky and smooth. The finish was nice, but by the end of the meal, it was just starting to fade. My all-time favorite Beringer is the 1987 PR (I've had 6). This bottle was as good as most of them.
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Raisin and some nut on the nose, Port-like. Decanted for an hour though it wasn't needed. Tannins now are smooth and velvety, rolling off the tongue, leaving plum and cassis notes that linger in the slightly dry finish. Wonderful for its age.
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One of my very favorite aged Cali CABs! 30 years worth. Beautiful, graceful, floral with a delightful plum backberry currant base. Wine Spectator got it very right in 1990: Wine of the Year!"
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Mature aged luscious black cherry perfection! I really enjoy finding an odd vintage CAB that was created by a great producer. This is one of them. Floral with limited sediment. Completely enjoyable!
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Two bottles tasted. My guests called it "chocolate earth" and yes they loved it! Awesome floral aroma. Really quite perfect. 30 year old Beringer PV works for me.
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Just found another half case at Auction and drank the first. In perfect condition! Dark plum with limited sediment. Not much floral but absolutely smooth and frankly delicious. Beringer Private Reserve knew exactly what to do 30 years ago in a very tough challenging vintage.
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Wow, everyone must have drank this to early. Opened tonight first taste it was not there, decanted for an hour brought to a steakhouse starting off a 91/92 and as the meal went on this jumped to a 93/94 within another hour. I suggest decanting for at least 2/3 hours but this bottle very underrated.
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From memory. Bot this on a whim. Loved the 1987 but this paled at a side by side tasting. I bot this bottle thinking it would be better on its own and price was reasonable. Oops. Oxidized nose that never truly leaves even with 3 + hours. Wife thought it improved and liked it, I say over the hill and gone. Had a 1964 Rioja a few weeks ago as comparison, and there was cinnamon, carmel spices to enjoy along with tannins and a finish. Not on this one. This is the first time I will say the wine was over-the-hill. Everything weak and the most dominat aspect is the old effect you often see when you leave an open but re-corked wine on the counter for several days too long.
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Nose of dark cherry, plum fruit, hint of sage and cassis, more of the same on the palate, my last bottle stored at 52 degrees, at its best, lots of rich fruit on the mid palate, mouth filling, medium/big body, delicious, and a long finish and flavorful aftertaste.
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a bit cloudy, smooth, with a little bite/astringency on the finish. well past its prime, but drinkable. My first 'expensive' wine (paid $37 in 1990). Ah the good old days!
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Cork broke on removal… Fully mature - mahogany edge and core. Very ripe fruit - almost port like in flavour. Drink now - definitely on the down slope soon.
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Deep, dark reddish-purple in color with slight bricking at the edges. Forward, assertive & complex nose of ripe dark fruit aromas of black berries, cassis and plummy (bordering on pruney) with herbal overtones of oregano & mint, tobacco & cedar, olives, dusty, earthy, leather and toasty oak in the background with just a whiff of shoe polish (VA?). Full bodied with a good concentration of developed, balanced, ripe (over-ripe?) jammy, dark fruit flavors of sweet cherries, blackberries & plums/plummy with herbs, olives, earthy, spices and toasted oak. Smooth lingering finish. A nice well aged Cab but best drunk soon.
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Wow a gentle sensuous red, velvety tannins mild fruit. Popped and poured. Superb. Palate like an older Bordeaux. Ripe plums emerged after about 30 min.
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I found two bottle of this when rearranging my cellar (constant 52-54 degrees). I haven't had this wine in at least ten years (BCT -- before cellartracker). I do remember that I thought it was an excellent California cab. I was afraid that the wine was way past it prime -- way past even being drinkable. What a surprise! I decanted the wine 2 hours before drinking. It was incredibly good. Dark red raisined fruit, leather, cedar, tobacco -- things I associate with an older CS. Wonderful texture and great complexity, every sip brought a new flavor. This may have been just an exceptional bottle or maybe it was due to the rather cold storage but this bottle far exceeded expectations.
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First night tasted tired with acids dominating. Came together bertter on day #2. Fruit deepened. Black cherry and plum flavors. Tannis integrated. Very good but not outstanding.
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Judgment of Singapore: Part 2 - Riesling and Cabernet (Ubin Seafood, Sin Ming Indistrial Estate): I enjoyed this tremendously, as did most of the others around the table. It had such an attractive nose - full of sweet, ripe berries and black cherries and plum scents, along with nicely integrated notes of toasty earth and some smoked meat aromas in the background. There was no doubting that this was Californian on that nose alone, with all its lovely, sunny ripness. The palate was absolutely delcious too. Unashamedly new world again, it had wonderful sunshiney flavours of raisins and blackberries and cassis, matched stride for stride by plush tannins and fresh acidity - all really nicely balanced, which made it a joy to drink. Still strong on the attack and across the midpalate, the finish was very impressive as well, coating the backpalate with a rich layer of blackberries and pure cassis notes just touched at the edges with earth and tobacco. Hedonistic, delicious stuff. For someone whose bencmark for Cabernet is normally a mature left-bank Bordeaux, this really brought a smile to my face. It was the Group's overall #2 out of 10, just edged out by a briliant 1977 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet. At a beautiful place now, I do not see any reason to cellar these any longer.
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This wine has been stored in my cellar since it was released. The cork was perfect with a tight red line and no ullage. Although it is clearly aged, it was not over the hill however their is probably not much reason to hang on to it. Complex flavors of anise, leather, cherry, plum. Very enjoyable, looking back at previous reviews, it is clear that how the wine was cellared is a big deal.
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The cork on this one broke also. I extracted the bottom half with prongs and the wine was fine. No question that it's on the back nine, but it had the requisite silky complexity to make it a very enjoyable bottle.
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Wine was madeirized. Cork seemed fine although it broke as it was extracted. I then opened an '86 Forman cabernet sauvignon which had been stored next to this bottle for 20 years. The Forman cork was noticeably firmer, with a finer grain and entirely intact. Both corks were wine stained up 1/2 inch. The Forman was probably past its peak, but delightful nonetheless. I'm not sure whether the '86 Beringer is enough of a wine to have withstood the 25 years aging, but this quality of cork certainly seems to be part of the problem.
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I have to disagree with some of the recent posts. I have been drinking this wine since 1991, when I purchased 14, after it received 1990 "Wine of the Year" by Wine Spectator. It is not a knock for me to say it is in serious decline, after all it is 25 years old!!
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Cork was perfect. Mid neck fill. Decanted for 1 hour and it needed it. Initial nose gave off some rotten odors, but that blew off quickly. Solid cab with intricate secondary flavors - not a typical one dimensional CA fruit bomb. Cherry, burnt leather, tobacco, some forest moss. Still had some tannins for structure, but an otherwise smooth finish. Finnish was not long. This wine, if well stored, still has some years left in the bottle, but i can't imagine it would drink much better than it is now. Consumed NYE with H & S families.
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Nine-liter bottle consumed at a wonderful birthday party/picnic. Thanks Stephen and Astrid! Wine was siphoned into nine clean 750ml bottles for some air time prior to dinner. Notes are limited, but include: good color with some mature bricking around the meniscus. Nose was lovely and embematic of mature Cabernet Sauvignon with rich and restrained berry qualities. Likewise, the palate was quite nice with lovely berry character and suble high notes of green pepper corns at the end. Was expecting some eucalyptus, but it was not present - unless the subltle green peppercorn finsih represents the eucalyptus comonent after years of maturity.... hard to say. Tannis were resolved and and the wine was very approachable and quite enjoyable to drink. Would have liked to compair this large format side-by-side a 750ml. Finally, I was told this was Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year way back when.
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Mid neck fill. Cork in excellent condition. Full, medium red, with brick edges, looked amazingly young for its age. Some licorice, dusty red cherry, leather, herbs. Fully resolved tannins, light-medium acidity. Long finish with some prune, hazelnut, cigar box. Simply amazing how well this bottle has held up. Well stored bottles should easily has 5-7+ more years.
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Nice wine. Still shows firm structure and is obvious it would have been brilliant a decade ago. The fruit was almost non-existant except for a hint of deep plum reduction, but most of the aroma was dominated by light notes of anise. Got dried out, tannic, and flat on the finish that dropped of rather quickly. Still a nice wine to drink and quite surprising for a 24 year old Cali Cab. Drink this one as soon as you can because it won't hold on much longer.
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Slightly redish brown at the edges; fruit was almost non-existant; decent tannins, but a short finish. Definitely past its time, but I would have to say I was impressed with a 23 year old Napa. Must have been brilliant at the 10 year mark.
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An impressive, fully mature cabernet with the tannins fully tamed and good fruit remaining. Aromas of lead pencil and black currant fruit are delightful.
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opened and decanted for about 1 hr. nose: strawberry port (is there such a thing?), ever so faint hints of caramel, and cave dust. Perhaps some soap? palate: the acidity is certainly there, as is the tannic structure. Fruit is again strawberry (bruised), but its not as intense as we (Chris) would like. Mouthfeel is supple but light. Finishes well, with sour cherry and some oakiness. I feel like the fruit has faded. Not completely over the hill, but if I had more bottles, I would drink soon.
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Mature, dark fruit and mint nose. Somewhat hollow and green on the palate - seems like a lighter vintage ('88 or '83 maybe). Still some hard, larger-grain tannin. Raw, classic wine. Enjoyable, and ready to drink.
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very surprised indeed.the wine was still in its prime ( i wouldn't wait much longer ) classic structure,nose,full cabernet. let decant for 2 hours and it was very good over the next 2 hours,i can definetely see this wine at the tail end of its life ,but i enjoyed
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Just had the '86 Beringer Reserve Cab. Still holding up pretty well. We decanted and drank over a two-hour period, and it was still going strong at the end, standing up nicely to a New York Strip. I wouldn't hold for much longer.
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Judging by the other reviews, we weren't alone in being a little confused by this wine. I think it's past its prime, with madeira, sweet cherry and spice flavors. It has a decent finish, soft texture, but somehow it doesn't all come together. I have one bottle left, which I'll try soon.
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This is hard to rate as I have never experienced wine this old before, so take my 90pts with a grain of salt. As with anything of this age I was concerned about proper storage befor I acquired the bottle. The cork looked and felt great, no seepage, not too dry. The color had a more brick red versus the dark ruby you tend to see in young cabs. Very little aromatics as it was warming up from cellar temperature (55). After about 20 minutes in a decanter this started to have some resemblance of a good cab. As time progressed over the 3 hours of drinking you could taste a wine that was once great and now fading. Fruits was overpowered by herbs and dill, yet still very drinkable and very well integrated. I think the window is closing on this one but I really enjoyed being able to pop this open and see what something of age with a great legacy should taste like. I wish I would have had this 5-10 years ago.
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Opened it & immediately tasted it. An allmost astringent first taste. Two hours later astringency all but gone. Left with a wine perhaps past it's best, even on the decline, but still justifying the desire to have this wine since I tasted it two weeks ago
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All sorts of controversy on this wine. Half the table thought there was something wrong with it and half the table loved it. I went back and forth. The nose did seem off – there was fennel, cinnamon and a bit of Madeira. But it was silky and long on the palate. Really delicious. Strange bottle. (91?)
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Still dark ruby color, with no signs of browning or fading at the edges. Tannins have softened and the wine is fully mature. Nice nose of cedar and blackberry fruit on opening, but the nose dissipated rapidly following decanting. Still, a very pleasing bottle of wine.
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The nose is dominated by jammy currants, some ripe plums, pie spices and cedar. The nose is consistent with the palate which fills the mouth with juicy currants,ripe fruit smooth tannins and a really long delicious finish. After sitting more than an hour, the nose faded somewhat but the palate opened and the tannins seemed to become more integrated with the fruit. I thought this wine would have been past its prime but it certainly was a wonderful wine with which to end 2006. This particular bottle is one of the best old California cabs that I have had the pleasure to drink. If you have any, I would you encourage you to open a bottle over the next few months and enjoy.
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Nose is dominated by jammy fruit. Lots of fruit on the palate. Very smooth tannins with a very short finish. Nice bottle of wine, but is starting to go down hill. If you have any drink in soon.
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Dark ruby in color with no signs of aging. On opening, the nose is generous with black and red currants, cedar, saddle leather and spice. Initially only light-to-medium bodied, the palate gains an incredible amount of weight after one hour in the decanter. Ultimately presenting concentrated dark, cedary fruit with melted tannins. A mature, complex and long wine. Simply delicious, appealing to the senses and intellect.
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Environment Consumed with a medium-rare veal chop from Tuskies in Leesburg. Consumed in a Reidel "Extreme" Cab glass. Consumed while watching game 3 of the 2006 Avalanche-Ducks Stanley Cup Conference Semi-Finals
Tasting Chronology Dry cork (immediately inducing doubt and stress) Opened and immediately decanted. First nasal impression is bad (in my experience): oregano, which usually signals an over-the-hill Cali cab Opening+10 minutes: herbal nose (again the oregano), disjointed overly acidic on the palate, like an "Emergen-C" vitamin drink. A little fruit (medium Flathead Cherry?) along with the acid.
Opening+20 minutes: Ahh, some good signs. Licorice appearing on the nose, fresh-cut celery appearing on the mouth. Classic Beringer.
Opening+30 minutes: acidity being subsumed by tannin and fruit. Finish lengthening to 45 seconds. Lingering bright cherry + a little herba ceousness. Licorice gone.
Opening+50 minutes: camphor on nose and mouth, celery still lingering on mouth, but definitely decomposing into unintegrated base components.
Conclusion Open it, decant it, wait 20 minutes, drink it quickly.
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Just barely had some life in it and right on the edge of going south. This bottle was exposed to a fair amount of heat and was not stored well. I suspect a cared for bottle would still be ok.
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Having spent the last few months organizing the cellar using cellartracker and having completed my 6th decade on earth, I am breaking down and opening some cherished bottles that the data base says may not live as long as I will. I defer to my more eloquent community member Hank Gillespie who has fully captured this wine's esssence in his description. I might add that in a blind tasting, I could easily have confused this wine with one of my favorites, 1970 cos. Therefore, I feel that maintaining at least a 90 rating is well deserved. For those who are concerned about longevity, while the wine may have had greater concentration earlier in its life, the continuing presence of some tannins suggests to me that the wine is still in its peak years, and can easily last a few more before entering into decline.
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I kept looking at the bin holding the 1986 Beringer Private Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon , and pulled a bottle to go with our dinner.
Extremely dark - opaque, with the colour of dark red brown mahogany; bouquet offers up a strong rush of black currant jam and cedar, followed by nutmeg, brewed coffee and some roasted beef; on the palate the wine was quite smooth, showed a fine balance of acidity; very full bodied; a mouthful of deep cassis fruit, which extends through to a lingering finish; some soft tannins appear near the end of the fruit. This is a fine bottle of wine, albeit somewhat unidimensional. I keep hoping these older California Cabs will begin to show more breadth of bouquet and flavours, similar to what one might find in a high quality Bordeaux, but that expectation is usually unrealised. Nevertheless, an enticing and attractive wine of some quality.
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Opened today, 7/4/04. Bottle has been properly stored since release. Capsule and cork in excellent condition. Aromas of a well aged Beringer PR, olive, currant, hint of mint. The palate is nice but the fruit has definitely faded. Still very nice with plum, olive, currant. The finish is a bit dry but not really tannic or harsh by any means. This wine is somewhat past it's prime but still a nice drink. I wish I would have had this 5-7 years ago. I would rate it about 89 now. I have tasted BPR back to 86, every vintage except the 87 and 88. I would like to give the 87 a try sometime as I hear it is still holding up very well.
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ORANGE ON THE EDGE. BLACK CURRENTS, BLACKBERRIES, DEEP FRUIT AND MINT IN THE NOSE. FLAVOR LIKE THE NOSE, RICH, DEEP FRUIT, BLACKBERRIES. NICE COMPLEXITY AND A MEDIUM TO LONG FINISH.
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Tasting 5 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignons. Big, rich intense raspberry nose with a brooding dark purple almost black color in the glass, lots of rich, raspberry fruit that was well balanced in the mouth, long, long finish with plenty of fruit, tannin, and acid. Opened over 3 hours very slowly and needs 5 years to peak. First place.
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5/14/2022 - ilcalmo wrote: flawed
Unfortunately heat damaged. Frustratingly, just undamaged enough for me to taste how good it would have been in good condition.
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5/4/2022 - Gkautry Likes this wine: 97 Points
Big fan of BPR. Have been eyeing this one on the wine list for about a year (Soby’s in Greenville SC). Finally took a chance. Beautifully preserved. No signs of age damage. Seems more fruity than more recent vintages. After decanting, improved with time. An excellent bottle.
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5/1/2022 - JackKingman Likes this wine: 97 Points
Absolutely delicious. Fruity, with black currant and cherries. Still delicious well beyond the CellarTracker dates.
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1/24/2022 - winecoffee wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful mellow cab. Notes of plum and luscious cherries on the nose. Palate is mellowing red fruit but very clearly a cab. Yum.
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10/11/2021 - SpitzNV Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wine of my birthday night (of many). Surprisingly lively with excellent balance.
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4/25/2021 - martin_e Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still vibrant wine with no signs of old age. Dark-fruit aromas overlaid by floral and even honey notes, which become more prominent with decanting. Juicy black fruits, structured. The only imperfections I found: a bit dry tannins and relative simplicity (absence of that extra layer that sometimes makes wines even more exciting)
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1/17/2021 - chuckos77 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Initial nose was unpleasant and was concerned about how wine would present. Actually opened and drank well after about 30 minutes. Carmel notes became dominant and really enjoyed more than 87, Cadmus 87, and Spottswood 88.
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11/7/2020 - Scherr wrote:
Sbragia’s
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10/30/2019 - Quiet Lion wrote: 94 Points
Decanted and served. Thank you to whoever stored this bottle perfectly with a cork that looked about 25 years younger! Kept improving over two hours. Classic-style Napa Cabernet with cherries and spice on the nose, mature tannins, medium acid, plenty of mature cassis left, full body. Great survivor.
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8/15/2019 - nywine68 wrote: 93 Points
Still very fresh and alive. Full bodied juicy red fruit. Nice secondary nuances. Superfine tannins give this a velvety mouthfeel.
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2/11/2019 - guribh wrote: 88 Points
Tasted alongside the 1985 vintage of same. Slight bricking color. Mature, nicely evolved nose. A bit leaner and higher acidity than the 85, but still nice. Not great. Could very well be on the decline. Drink up...
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9/29/2018 - Alongfield wrote: 94 Points
Still full and rich on the nose. Slightly muted on the taste and finish but overall a treat.
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5/29/2018 - wynlvr Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful cork, bought on release. Perfect! Drank over 2.5 hours and holding up well. Great balance of fruit, tannin, and acid.
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5/1/2018 - yowser Does not like this wine: 75 Points
I drank this last wek along with a '90 and a '91 vintage. I've recently drank a '76 and a '78 Beringer Reserve Cabs out of my cellar which were stunning. This '86 was long gone and raisin-ey.
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3/15/2018 - DoubleMagnum wrote: 90 Points
Riper than the '86 Mondavi I had last year. A bit of funk and heat on the nose, with a clear savory, meaty, dry aged steak-like note of soy sauce. It's as if I'm smelling umami. Dark ripe fruit on the palate, a rounded texture, a good amount of acid and dusty finish. Slightly passed peak but still enjoyable. Time to drink up.
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2/16/2018 - WetRock wrote:
The nose showed classic Bordeaux/Cab notes. But the palate was very lean without a lot of complexity. A nice wine to be sure but a notch below what you would hope for the pedigree. Best with food.
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2/15/2018 - Mark Brandon Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent provenance. 80's cabernet, when done well, has so much in common with Left Bank BDX. This bottle was in a secondary phase, but still plenty of soft plummy fruit with an herbal undertone. Enjoyed immensely (and then followed with the '02 vintage of the same wine - really a cool experience all around).
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1/31/2018 - DaleW wrote:
Not a vintage of Cali I have much experience with, but what a great showing. Black cherry and black currant, cedar, smoke, and hint of cocoa. Tannins are resolved, acids are balance, finish is long. Not usually a buyer of Beringer but at least in this era I should be. A-
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4/8/2017 - sunnylea57 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Superb. The label was half gone, and the remaining bits were mould-stained. But the cork was tight, solid and clean, and the wine was incredibly fresh and vibrant. It had clearly been sitting in the same position for years, as the sediment was caked all up one side of the bottle. Excellent balance between the fruit and acidity, fully resolved tannins, gorgeous red and black fruit, licorice notes, and hints of smokiness. A perfect pairing with grilled rib eye.
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3/6/2017 - mhudes Likes this wine: 96 Points
Opened at restaurant for my son's 31st birthday.. No decant. This was simply a superb bottle. Dark in color, with a flowery fragrance. On the palate lush dark fruit (black cherry, black currant, plums) and definitely some mocha/chocolate nuances. Very silky and smooth. The finish was nice, but by the end of the meal, it was just starting to fade. My all-time favorite Beringer is the 1987 PR (I've had 6). This bottle was as good as most of them.
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2/20/2017 - Dionysusx Likes this wine: 93 Points
Raisin and some nut on the nose, Port-like. Decanted for an hour though it wasn't needed. Tannins now are smooth and velvety, rolling off the tongue, leaving plum and cassis notes that linger in the slightly dry finish. Wonderful for its age.
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10/11/2016 - Nerdy Earth Boy Likes this wine: 93 Points
One of my very favorite aged Cali CABs! 30 years worth. Beautiful, graceful, floral with a delightful plum backberry currant base. Wine Spectator got it very right in 1990: Wine of the Year!"
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9/14/2016 - Nerdy Earth Boy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Mature aged luscious black cherry perfection! I really enjoy finding an odd vintage CAB that was created by a great producer. This is one of them. Floral with limited sediment. Completely enjoyable!
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6/22/2016 - Nerdy Earth Boy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Two bottles tasted. My guests called it "chocolate earth" and yes they loved it! Awesome floral aroma. Really quite perfect. 30 year old Beringer PV works for me.
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6/18/2016 - Nerdy Earth Boy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Just found another half case at Auction and drank the first. In perfect condition! Dark plum with limited sediment. Not much floral but absolutely smooth and frankly delicious. Beringer Private Reserve knew exactly what to do 30 years ago in a very tough challenging vintage.
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3/5/2016 - BigBoy_Sonoma Likes this wine: 84 Points
This wine is past it's prime. 1990 top wine in wine spectator magazine, drink, shoulda finish 5 years ago.
dried cranberries, teas, cedar, herbalalious. The wine is just tired.... and it tastes tired.
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1/2/2016 - Nerdy Earth Boy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Super dry crumbling cork but still had some life. 30 years aged a great way to start 2016!
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8/13/2015 - awaxenberg wrote: 93 Points
Wow, everyone must have drank this to early. Opened tonight first taste it was not there, decanted for an hour brought to a steakhouse starting off a 91/92 and as the meal went on this jumped to a 93/94 within another hour. I suggest decanting for at least 2/3 hours but this bottle very underrated.
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5/19/2015 - Chiantihound wrote: 86 Points
From memory. Bot this on a whim. Loved the 1987 but this paled at a side by side tasting. I bot this bottle thinking it would be better on its own and price was reasonable. Oops. Oxidized nose that never truly leaves even with 3 + hours. Wife thought it improved and liked it, I say over the hill and gone. Had a 1964 Rioja a few weeks ago as comparison, and there was cinnamon, carmel spices to enjoy along with tannins and a finish. Not on this one. This is the first time I will say the wine was over-the-hill. Everything weak and the most dominat aspect is the old effect you often see when you leave an open but re-corked wine on the counter for several days too long.
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3/29/2015 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nose of dark cherry, plum fruit, hint of sage and cassis, more of the same on the palate, my last bottle stored at 52 degrees, at its best, lots of rich fruit on the mid palate, mouth filling, medium/big body, delicious, and a long finish and flavorful aftertaste.
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1/1/2015 - Dibby wrote:
a bit cloudy, smooth, with a little bite/astringency on the finish. well past its prime, but drinkable. My first 'expensive' wine (paid $37 in 1990). Ah the good old days!
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11/3/2014 - hiker_guy wrote: flawed
Way past it's prime. Seriously oxidized. Maybe a bad cork. Dumped.
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1/3/2014 - johnwine Likes this wine: 89 Points
This wine has gone past its peak. All of us identified it as a Syrah in a blind tasting. However, it was delicious though somewhat maderized.
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12/25/2013 - biggie Likes this wine: 90 Points
Cork broke on removal… Fully mature - mahogany edge and core. Very ripe fruit - almost port like in flavour. Drink now - definitely on the down slope soon.
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11/24/2013 - Vinnut wrote: 88 Points
Deep, dark reddish-purple in color with slight bricking at the edges. Forward, assertive & complex nose of ripe dark fruit aromas of black berries, cassis and plummy (bordering on pruney) with herbal overtones of oregano & mint, tobacco & cedar, olives, dusty, earthy, leather and toasty oak in the background with just a whiff of shoe polish (VA?). Full bodied with a good concentration of developed, balanced, ripe (over-ripe?) jammy, dark fruit flavors of sweet cherries, blackberries & plums/plummy with herbs, olives, earthy, spices and toasted oak. Smooth lingering finish. A nice well aged Cab but best drunk soon.
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10/25/2013 - dave smigielski wrote:
Marin County Wine Group - Aged Cabernets 15 year min.; 10/24/2013-10/25/2013 (Mill Valley, Ca.): Classic BDX nose, hints of tobacco and pencil lead. a really nice wine and it was the #1 wine of the flight for me. Not as youthful as the 92 Forman, but showed better, in my opinion.
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10/23/2013 - skurtz Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wow a gentle sensuous red, velvety tannins mild fruit. Popped and poured. Superb. Palate like an older Bordeaux. Ripe plums emerged after about 30 min.
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9/15/2013 - Wine_lvr wrote: flawed
Classical Californian Wineries (Zurich): Unfortunately a flawed bottle
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7/13/2013 - kmforster Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tannins resolved, smooth and delicious. Still has fruit but some secondary fun things too. Best after about 30 mins of air.
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1/24/2013 - G_H Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still a lot of fruit left, blackberry, blueberry really nice length!
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12/22/2012 - Wine Drinker Likes this wine: 91 Points
I found two bottle of this when rearranging my cellar (constant 52-54 degrees). I haven't had this wine in at least ten years (BCT -- before cellartracker). I do remember that I thought it was an excellent California cab. I was afraid that the wine was way past it prime -- way past even being drinkable. What a surprise! I decanted the wine 2 hours before drinking. It was incredibly good. Dark red raisined fruit, leather, cedar, tobacco -- things I associate with an older CS. Wonderful texture and great complexity, every sip brought a new flavor. This may have been just an exceptional bottle or maybe it was due to the rather cold storage but this bottle far exceeded expectations.
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11/3/2012 - iamandyc wrote: 88 Points
First night tasted tired with acids dominating. Came together bertter on day #2. Fruit deepened. Black cherry and plum flavors. Tannis integrated. Very good but not outstanding.
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9/15/2012 - Sunapee212 wrote: 88 Points
Dark. Not past it's prime. Smokey. Not a lot is fruit. Leather and crushed stone.
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6/8/2012 - Coollawyer wrote: 89 Points
Cherries plums Black cassis. Nicely set up wine.
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6/7/2012 - Paul S wrote: 93 Points
Judgment of Singapore: Part 2 - Riesling and Cabernet (Ubin Seafood, Sin Ming Indistrial Estate): I enjoyed this tremendously, as did most of the others around the table. It had such an attractive nose - full of sweet, ripe berries and black cherries and plum scents, along with nicely integrated notes of toasty earth and some smoked meat aromas in the background. There was no doubting that this was Californian on that nose alone, with all its lovely, sunny ripness. The palate was absolutely delcious too. Unashamedly new world again, it had wonderful sunshiney flavours of raisins and blackberries and cassis, matched stride for stride by plush tannins and fresh acidity - all really nicely balanced, which made it a joy to drink. Still strong on the attack and across the midpalate, the finish was very impressive as well, coating the backpalate with a rich layer of blackberries and pure cassis notes just touched at the edges with earth and tobacco. Hedonistic, delicious stuff. For someone whose bencmark for Cabernet is normally a mature left-bank Bordeaux, this really brought a smile to my face. It was the Group's overall #2 out of 10, just edged out by a briliant 1977 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet. At a beautiful place now, I do not see any reason to cellar these any longer.
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5/29/2012 - rben_mvp wrote: 90 Points
This wine has been stored in my cellar since it was released. The cork was perfect with a tight red line and no ullage. Although it is clearly aged, it was not over the hill however their is probably not much reason to hang on to it. Complex flavors of anise, leather, cherry, plum. Very enjoyable, looking back at previous reviews, it is clear that how the wine was cellared is a big deal.
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3/4/2012 - WinoRick wrote: 90 Points
The cork on this one broke also. I extracted the bottom half with prongs and the wine was fine. No question that it's on the back nine, but it had the requisite silky complexity to make it a very enjoyable bottle.
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1/14/2012 - mowtod wrote:
v good w /Delmonico steak from VanBalls !/3/12 w/Dan & Ellen still good tannin .Fruit Thinning out> Drink now 88 pt
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10/18/2011 - vine20 wrote:
Wine was madeirized. Cork seemed fine although it broke as it was extracted. I then opened an '86 Forman cabernet sauvignon which had been stored next to this bottle for 20 years. The Forman cork was noticeably firmer, with a finer grain and entirely intact. Both corks were wine stained up 1/2 inch. The Forman was probably past its peak, but delightful nonetheless. I'm not sure whether the '86 Beringer is enough of a wine to have withstood the 25 years aging, but this quality of cork certainly seems to be part of the problem.
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8/22/2011 - Rivers1488 wrote: 84 Points
I have to disagree with some of the recent posts. I have been drinking this wine since 1991, when I purchased 14, after it received 1990 "Wine of the Year" by Wine Spectator. It is not a knock for me to say it is in serious decline, after all it is 25 years old!!
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1/1/2011 - winepups wrote: 93 Points
Cork was perfect. Mid neck fill. Decanted for 1 hour and it needed it. Initial nose gave off some rotten odors, but that blew off quickly. Solid cab with intricate secondary flavors - not a typical one dimensional CA fruit bomb. Cherry, burnt leather, tobacco, some forest moss. Still had some tannins for structure, but an otherwise smooth finish. Finnish was not long. This wine, if well stored, still has some years left in the bottle, but i can't imagine it would drink much better than it is now. Consumed NYE with H & S families.
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9/19/2010 - John Dunlap wrote: 92 Points
Nine-liter bottle consumed at a wonderful birthday party/picnic. Thanks Stephen and Astrid! Wine was siphoned into nine clean 750ml bottles for some air time prior to dinner. Notes are limited, but include: good color with some mature bricking around the meniscus. Nose was lovely and embematic of mature Cabernet Sauvignon with rich and restrained berry qualities. Likewise, the palate was quite nice with lovely berry character and suble high notes of green pepper corns at the end. Was expecting some eucalyptus, but it was not present - unless the subltle green peppercorn finsih represents the eucalyptus comonent after years of maturity.... hard to say. Tannis were resolved and and the wine was very approachable and quite enjoyable to drink. Would have liked to compair this large format side-by-side a 750ml. Finally, I was told this was Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year way back when.
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8/9/2010 - Lucky_Irish_Devil wrote: 89 Points
Excellent
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7/9/2010 - incident wrote: 94 Points
Mid neck fill. Cork in excellent condition. Full, medium red, with brick edges, looked amazingly young for its age. Some licorice, dusty red cherry, leather, herbs. Fully resolved tannins, light-medium acidity. Long finish with some prune, hazelnut, cigar box. Simply amazing how well this bottle has held up. Well stored bottles should easily has 5-7+ more years.
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6/23/2010 - clericjohnbrown wrote: 85 Points
Nice wine. Still shows firm structure and is obvious it would have been brilliant a decade ago. The fruit was almost non-existant except for a hint of deep plum reduction, but most of the aroma was dominated by light notes of anise. Got dried out, tannic, and flat on the finish that dropped of rather quickly. Still a nice wine to drink and quite surprising for a 24 year old Cali Cab. Drink this one as soon as you can because it won't hold on much longer.
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6/16/2010 - Dickdoc49 wrote: 89 Points
What a surprise, still has some life.
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2/21/2010 - Mike Burke wrote: 75 Points
The bottles was way over the hill. No fruit at all. Smelled a bit musty.
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2/12/2010 - phantphant wrote: 75 Points
Very little left in this wine. Too bad....I could tell it had some structure there in the past.
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12/7/2009 - FShone wrote: 88 Points
Slightly redish brown at the edges; fruit was almost non-existant; decent tannins, but a short finish. Definitely past its time, but I would have to say I was impressed with a 23 year old Napa. Must have been brilliant at the 10 year mark.
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9/26/2009 - GA wrote: 90 Points
9/09 Good fruit and balance - faded fast - end of its window - turned sour - 90 pts. at its peak - 86 pts. after its fade.
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9/5/2009 - M DU VIN wrote: 92 Points
An impressive, fully mature cabernet with the tannins fully tamed and good fruit remaining. Aromas of lead pencil and black currant fruit are delightful.
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7/18/2009 - fun4dsun wrote: 87 Points
With Mark & Liv at Michael's genuine in Miami
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6/29/2009 - tarheel17 wrote: 89 Points
opened and decanted for about 1 hr.
nose: strawberry port (is there such a thing?), ever so faint hints of caramel, and cave dust. Perhaps some soap?
palate: the acidity is certainly there, as is the tannic structure. Fruit is again strawberry (bruised), but its not as intense as we (Chris) would like. Mouthfeel is supple but light. Finishes well, with sour cherry and some oakiness. I feel like the fruit has faded. Not completely over the hill, but if I had more bottles, I would drink soon.
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4/11/2009 - psmith wrote:
Mature, dark fruit and mint nose. Somewhat hollow and green on the palate - seems like a lighter vintage ('88 or '83 maybe). Still some hard, larger-grain tannin. Raw, classic wine. Enjoyable, and ready to drink.
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1/25/2009 - sajjy wrote: 93 Points
very surprised indeed.the wine was still in its prime ( i wouldn't wait much longer ) classic structure,nose,full cabernet.
let decant for 2 hours and it was very good over the next 2 hours,i can definetely see this wine at the tail end of its life ,but i enjoyed
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6/27/2008 - babarnhorst wrote: 92 Points
Just had the '86 Beringer Reserve Cab. Still holding up pretty well. We decanted and drank over a two-hour period, and it was still going strong at the end, standing up nicely to a New York Strip. I wouldn't hold for much longer.
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6/24/2008 - Amerique wrote: 91 Points
cedar nose, cherry fruit, medium body, short finish, age-worthy
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6/8/2008 - no leashes wrote: 88 Points
Judging by the other reviews, we weren't alone in being a little confused by this wine. I think it's past its prime, with madeira, sweet cherry and spice flavors. It has a decent finish, soft texture, but somehow it doesn't all come together. I have one bottle left, which I'll try soon.
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5/13/2008 - Schu wrote: 90 Points
This is hard to rate as I have never experienced wine this old before, so take my 90pts with a grain of salt. As with anything of this age I was concerned about proper storage befor I acquired the bottle. The cork looked and felt great, no seepage, not too dry. The color had a more brick red versus the dark ruby you tend to see in young cabs. Very little aromatics as it was warming up from cellar temperature (55). After about 20 minutes in a decanter this started to have some resemblance of a good cab. As time progressed over the 3 hours of drinking you could taste a wine that was once great and now fading. Fruits was overpowered by herbs and dill, yet still very drinkable and very well integrated. I think the window is closing on this one but I really enjoyed being able to pop this open and see what something of age with a great legacy should taste like. I wish I would have had this 5-10 years ago.
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2/14/2008 - Rivers1488 wrote:
Opened it & immediately tasted it. An allmost astringent first taste. Two hours later astringency all but gone. Left with a wine perhaps past it's best, even on the decline, but still justifying the desire to have this wine since I tasted it two weeks ago
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1/10/2008 - M DU VIN wrote: 89 Points
Excellent, well aged Cabernet. While it may hold for a few more years, I recommend this for drinking now.
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11/30/2007 - phenricsson wrote: 91 Points
Not exciting. still hard, opens up with time but still not what I remember
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11/22/2007 - pulitzerfan wrote: 84 Points
A bit past its prime but smooth, silky on first taste. Drank at Thanksgiving.
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8/2/2007 - kathgold wrote:
wonderful, but I'm glad we drank it now rather than waiting any longer
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6/17/2007 - dbkitc wrote: 91 Points
All sorts of controversy on this wine. Half the table thought there was something wrong with it and half the table loved it. I went back and forth. The nose did seem off – there was fennel, cinnamon and a bit of Madeira. But it was silky and long on the palate. Really delicious. Strange bottle. (91?)
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5/20/2007 - M DU VIN wrote: 91 Points
Still dark ruby color, with no signs of browning or fading at the edges. Tannins have softened and the wine is fully mature. Nice nose of cedar and blackberry fruit on opening, but the nose dissipated rapidly following decanting. Still, a very pleasing bottle of wine.
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12/31/2006 - tomlbs wrote: 94 Points
The nose is dominated by jammy currants, some ripe plums, pie spices and cedar. The nose is consistent with the palate which fills the mouth with juicy currants,ripe fruit smooth tannins and a really long delicious finish. After sitting more than an hour, the nose faded somewhat but the palate opened and the tannins seemed to become more integrated with the fruit. I thought this wine would have been past its prime but it certainly was a wonderful wine with which to end 2006. This particular bottle is one of the best old California cabs that I have had the pleasure to drink. If you have any, I would you encourage you to open a bottle over the next few months and enjoy.
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12/29/2006 - SteveC wrote: 89 Points
Nose is dominated by jammy fruit. Lots of fruit on the palate. Very smooth tannins with a very short finish. Nice bottle of wine, but is starting to go down hill. If you have any drink in soon.
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9/23/2006 - Nanda wrote: 94 Points
Dark ruby in color with no signs of aging. On opening, the nose is generous with black and red currants, cedar, saddle leather and spice. Initially only light-to-medium bodied, the palate gains an incredible amount of weight after one hour in the decanter. Ultimately presenting concentrated dark, cedary fruit with melted tannins. A mature, complex and long wine. Simply delicious, appealing to the senses and intellect.
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5/9/2006 - FeloniousMonk wrote: 90 Points
Environment
Consumed with a medium-rare veal chop from Tuskies in Leesburg.
Consumed in a Reidel "Extreme" Cab glass.
Consumed while watching game 3 of the 2006 Avalanche-Ducks Stanley Cup Conference Semi-Finals
Tasting Chronology
Dry cork (immediately inducing doubt and stress)
Opened and immediately decanted. First nasal impression is bad (in my experience): oregano, which usually signals an over-the-hill Cali cab
Opening+10 minutes: herbal nose (again the oregano), disjointed overly acidic on the palate, like an "Emergen-C" vitamin drink. A little fruit
(medium Flathead Cherry?) along with the acid.
Opening+20 minutes: Ahh, some good signs. Licorice appearing on the nose, fresh-cut celery appearing on the mouth. Classic Beringer.
Opening+30 minutes: acidity being subsumed by tannin and fruit. Finish lengthening to 45 seconds. Lingering bright cherry + a little herba ceousness. Licorice gone.
Opening+50 minutes: camphor on nose and mouth, celery still lingering on mouth, but definitely decomposing into unintegrated base components.
Conclusion
Open it, decant it, wait 20 minutes, drink it quickly.
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2/18/2006 - samurai wrote:
Just barely had some life in it and right on the edge of going south. This bottle was exposed to a fair amount of heat and was not stored well. I suspect a cared for bottle would still be ok.
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10/21/2005 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
WS New York Wine Experience 'Wines of the Year' Tasting (New York Marriott Marquis): Coffee red color. Medium aroma of round clean red fruit. Full red/black fruit made in an almost old world style. Still tight on the finish with good bones.
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10/5/2004 - bacchus wrote: 90 Points
Having spent the last few months organizing the cellar using cellartracker and having completed my 6th decade on earth, I am breaking down and opening some cherished bottles that the data base says may not live as long as I will. I defer to my more eloquent community member Hank Gillespie who has fully captured this wine's esssence in his description. I might add that in a blind tasting, I could easily have confused this wine with one of my favorites, 1970 cos. Therefore, I feel that maintaining at least a 90 rating is well deserved. For those who are concerned about longevity, while the wine may have had greater concentration earlier in its life, the continuing presence of some tannins suggests to me that the wine is still in its peak years, and can easily last a few more before entering into decline.
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8/13/2004 - Hank Gillespie wrote:
I kept looking at the bin holding the 1986 Beringer Private Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon , and pulled a bottle to go with our dinner.
Extremely dark - opaque, with the colour of dark red brown mahogany; bouquet offers up a strong rush of black currant jam and cedar, followed by nutmeg, brewed coffee and some roasted beef; on the palate the wine was quite smooth, showed a fine balance of acidity; very full bodied; a mouthful of deep cassis fruit, which extends through to a lingering finish; some soft tannins appear near the end of the fruit. This is a fine bottle of wine, albeit somewhat unidimensional. I keep hoping these older California Cabs will begin to show more breadth of bouquet and flavours, similar to what one might find in a high quality Bordeaux, but that expectation is usually unrealised. Nevertheless, an enticing and attractive wine of some quality.
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7/4/2004 - texaswino wrote: 89 Points
Opened today, 7/4/04. Bottle has been properly stored since release. Capsule and cork in excellent condition. Aromas of a well aged Beringer PR, olive, currant, hint of mint. The palate is nice but the fruit has definitely faded. Still very nice with plum, olive, currant. The finish is a bit dry but not really tannic or harsh by any means. This wine is somewhat past it's prime but still a nice drink. I wish I would have had this 5-7 years ago. I would rate it about 89 now. I have tasted BPR back to 86, every vintage except the 87 and 88. I would like to give the 87 a try sometime as I hear it is still holding up very well.
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2/6/2002 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Tasting. Slightly past its peak, but still showing robust black fruit, even if slightly more earthy than I would prefer.
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7/4/2001 - buckeye76 wrote: 92 Points
ORANGE ON THE EDGE. BLACK CURRENTS, BLACKBERRIES, DEEP FRUIT AND MINT IN THE NOSE. FLAVOR LIKE THE NOSE, RICH, DEEP FRUIT, BLACKBERRIES. NICE COMPLEXITY AND A MEDIUM TO LONG FINISH.
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1/3/1992 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasting 5 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignons. Big, rich intense raspberry nose with a brooding dark purple almost black color in the glass, lots of rich, raspberry fruit that was well balanced in the mouth, long, long finish with plenty of fruit, tannin, and acid. Opened over 3 hours very slowly and needs 5 years to peak. First place.
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9/21/1991 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 95 Points
1985-1988 CABERNET SAUVIGNONS with 4 CHATEAU MONTELENAS (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Rich, deep, intense fruit, nice, complex tea and tobacco nose, in the mouth-big, rich, slight hint of pepper, well balanced, elegant.
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10/20/1990 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tasting 12 Chardonnays, 7 Bordeaux, 8 Cabernets including 5 Opus One (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Tasting 5 Opus One + 3 other Cabernet Sauvignons. Had a brilliant red color in the glass, berry nose, rich, pleasant, well balanced, almost elegant, fruity wine in the mouth, soft, medium tannins, long finish. My #2 tied.
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