decanted, first hour a bit rough, after 2 hours so smooth and integrated.
really old school napa which i love. not the jammy over extracted adulterated flavored napa fruit bomb nonsense. my book that is flavored wine and should be labeled as such but thats a story for another time.
poker gang loved loved loved it. said they're not used to napa wine being so smooth
this bottle was at peak peak. i have another and feel should consume sooner rather than later.
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dark purple. no brown noted. fruity full but not powerful nose. no tannin left. full bodied and fantastic palate. drinking well now. will not likely improve, but should keep well 5+yrs. The cork was soft and maybe only 1mm of wine at the edge. A very good seal.
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Holy shit. Dark ruby, zero bricking. Medium bodied with enough acid left to balance the matured red/black fruits. Absolutely classic high-end California cab, but not a fruit bomb by any means. Sweetish edge and soft but still lovely tannins. Nose of black cherry, cassis, some black olives. Probably 40 second finish, with the acids still pinging back of tongue. I almost opened my last '95 of the same stuff, but with some giant 100 day dry aged Jack's Creek Aussie wagyu from Swagyu Chop Shop (astounding quality), I wanted something less soft. These notes from 30 min decant and it keeps getting better. Delicious. Next bottle tonight is 2005 Bond St. Eden. Life Does Not Suck.
Note: After 2 hours in decant, the fruit fell away, leaving a nice, but somewhat thin wine. One hour is the right decant time.
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Double decanted, opening 3 hours before drinking. Red and blue fruit nose. No bricking at all, none. Plum, cherry and blackberry palate. Long finish with a hint of chocolate. Enjoyed with a cowboy ribeye, 72% cocoa chocolate. Outstanding.
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Dark ruby purple in color. Lovely aromas of cassis, graphite, cedar and spice box. A rich and silky palate follows through with smoky cassis, dark chocolate, spice, well integrated wood, acidity and tannins and a long perfumed and mineral laden finish. Superb.
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I get what people are saying about the diversity of aromatics (cinnamon?), but the dearth of earthiness prevents it from achieving greatness for me. If you like a Cab that sings instead of bellows though, this is definitely for you.
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Dark ruby colored; blueberry, red plum and anise on the nose. Moderate well integrated tannins with full body. Initially after 30 min of decanting there was a taste of clay or tar on the mid palate but that went away. Otherwise it had a rich taste of blue fruit, cassis, cocoa and earth. Nice lingering finish. I wouldn’t hold this much longer.
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Decanted for 2 hours. Aromas of dried cherry, blackberry, currant, melted chocolate and rose petal. Flavors of black cherry, blackberry, currant, mocha and touch of earth. Ends with a 30-35 second finish with blackberry notes. Better than the last time I had it but starting to show its age. Probably a bit better 5 years ago.
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Beringer Private Reserve rarely disappoints, usually a good value, especially some of the older vintages. This one is also enjoyable, very smooth well-integrated wine emphasizing black berries and plum.
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Still showed very nicely. Definitely a young 2004. Drinkable now & over next few years. Moderate tannins. Loads of blackberry, cassis tar, semisweet chocolate & leather. Better on first night. Didn't hold up well for day two.
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Decanted for about an hour. Started out a bit harsh and then all of a sudden it mellowed and a significant spice element came to the forefront. Held up for several hours. Wish I had more.
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I would say to drink up. It's still in a good spot but this bottle seemed to be fading some. Nice mature bottle but the body feels like its starting to fall away. Still relatively primary. Enjoyable but not special.
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A wine with incredible balance and complexity. A plethora of interesting aromas and flavors: cedar, vanilla, damsons, cassis, coffee, cocoa, graphite, gun oil, and herbs. Very plush and refined tannins. Slightly unctuous with a fabulous mouth feel and long silky finish. One of the best bottles I have drunk in a while. Drinking very well now, but could easily go 20 years. A nearly perfect wine and a paradigm of what cellaring can do for a wine.
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Served blind. I thought this was 8 years younger. Still broodingly dark and rather tannic, but with a few hours, this opened up beautifully. Quite impressive and really lovely.
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Still performing nicely but it is now on its descent. The dark fruit is sharing center stage with graphite light tobacco notes. The foundation of the wine is a bit shaky. Drink up.
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Probably being unfair, could be a solid 95. Now reaching it’s 3rd hour of decanting and hitting on all cylinders. Deep dark color just starting to take on the subdued hue of a mature Cabernet. Beautiful nose of black cherry with a hint of French vanilla. Was a heavyweight at one time but now presenting as a medium to light mouthfeel with wonderful finish of black cherry. Impossible to imagine this getting any better. Drink now, what a treat! Would definitely give the ‘04 Anderson’s Conn Valley Estate Reserve Cabernet a run for its money. Can’t wait to try them side-by-side!
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4th Saturday Group: Old vs Young (T&L's): Black fruit with funky vegetal overtones. Medium-bodied with slightly coarse tannin and flavors of black fruit, tobacco and more vegetal elements. The fruit is good, but the vegetal elements are somewhat distracting...perhaps a touch of brettanomyces.
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Stored in a climate-controlled cellar since purchase on release. The complex nose immediately leaped from the glass to reveal a plethora of earthy/minty dark fruit notes (e.g., blackberry, blueberry, mulberry) coupled with licorice, cassis, and a hint of chocolate. Good inner core of fruit on the rich palate accompanied by a still notable acidic/tannic structure, although quite suave and polished. We struggled about whether we should decant or not, ultimately deciding to decant, which I now regret. The wine was at its best in the first few hours, with the nose being the highlight, morphing into cedar, forest floor, followed by dark chocolate, coffee, and graphite. It seemingly changed with each whiff and sip. After 3-4 hours, spice and soy came to the fore, although it was at this point that it began to lose some weight and depth in the mouth (coupled with some harshness). My score is based on the first 2-3 hours, after which it declined. As such, I'd agree with previous tasters that this is still quite good, but might have already seen its best days.
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A deep nose of cranberry and blueberry. Hints of cracked pepper, blue berries, moderate tannin, some heat with a bit of length. Probably not declining terribly but also can't think this hasn't been through the peak and maybe in a holding period. Seems like the fruit won't hold up past those sneaky tannins.
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This wine has held up really well. Color, clarity and body is really good. When the wine was poured it had bubbles on the top as if the wine was one years old. Very approachable! Aroma of plum and black currant.. When drinking it had dark fruit and wood at the finish. Once open for 30 Plus Minutes the flavors change adding some Vanilla
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Big jammy fruit, both black and reds, herbal notes, cedar, tobacco minerality and graphite and finishes with silky tannins. There hints of mocha on every third or fourth slip. What's surprising is how fresh and vibrant the fruit is after 13 years in the bottle. Probably be fantastic for another decade or so. A
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same notes as last time accept that the wine was decanted for two hours riot to drinking. That took some of the vibrancy away from the wine, but it was still delicious. I don’t think this wine will get any better, but it will cruise for a hand full of years. Good juice.
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PnP. Dark purple with a bit of tea in the meniscus. Nose of cassis and blackberry jam, oak and earth. Fruity at first, and then becomes woodier over time. Medium-bodied and concentrated with a velvety, smooth. mouth-coating texture. Rather feminine, elegant and subtle with surprisingly bright acidity and soft, fine-grained tannins. In the background, eucalyptus along with a hint of vanilla and anise. California-ripeness with a Bordeaux-like structure. I liked it a bit better when it was younger and more powerful, but this seems to have settled into a comfortable plateau. I don't think there is any upside to waiting longer.
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Opened to breathe at Cafe Panache in Ramsey. A very classy cab, with the typical dark fruit, mineral and graphite. Smooth and easy to drink, perfect with my venison tonight.
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Jólasmakk Eðalklúbbsins 2018 (Marbakkabraut 12): Dökkt á litinn. Farið að sýna smá öldrunarmerki. Í nefi lofnarblóm og/eða fjólur í byrjun. Þægileg lykt, konfektkassi, svört kirsuber. Í bragðinu flott jafnvægi og fylling. Mjög ferskt. Fersk mynta.
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Per prior comment from 3 years ago: Dark inky red in glass. Nice rich deep aged dark cherry, light hints of tobacco, earth, vanilla. Well balanced with touch of acid and tannin.
Now: Lovely depth, but fruit is a tad muted, so the cherry is light behind the dusky tobacco & earth. Very good to excellent but tending to quite subtle display of richness. Good length. Nice with brined heirloom pork chops, sweet potato gratin. I agree with other recent notes suggesting now is the time to drink.
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Blue and black fruits mingle with graphite and iron ore notes. Wonderful texture and depth. Already displaying levels of complexity. This wine has excitement, balance and structure to evolve for another 15 years. Amazing juice for the level of production.
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I may be shorting this a point or two...Opened, but not decanted, for about 30 minutes before pouring at a restaurant. Along with 3 other Napa Cabs (2001 Cakebread, 1998 Peju and 2012 Raza). Probably the WOTN, drinking beautifully right now. In that place where there is still some fruit left, but developing the secondary flavor profiles of a wine that is more than a decade old. Notes of Cedar, and spice, along with a very long finish.
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Decanted 3 hours. Very elegant and ready to go right away with secondary notes just starting to emerge. Medium plus bodied and tannins fully resolved. Sweet red fruit, aged leather, dusty soil, cassis, vanilla bean, cedar, lavender, and eucalyptus. Lots of depth with plenty of structure. No doubt this has at least 5 more years of prime drinking.
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Excellent Cabernet from Beringer! Very good nose followed by a burst of fruit on the front palate melding into a very well balanced mid palate of mineral flavors and spices, very good acidity and finishing with some still present tannins and a medium length after taste. Beringer Private Reserve always seems to come through with a reliably high quality product. This bottle was shared with a tri-tip steak and it greatly enhanced the flavor and enjoyment of the meal. This wine has years left of development so there's no rush to drink it
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Dark garnet, opaque, slight browning edges. Pronounced aromas, complex, pronounced herbal-bell pepper component and subtle spices. Nose also has black raspberry-blackberry, some cedar. Very interesting aromas. The flavors are full but round and nicely balanced, prominent acidity, soft tannins, plenty of smooth cabernet flavors, also with herbal components. Very long, smooth aftertaste. This is one of Napa's great classic estates, and this wine proves it. Outstanding, but should easily keep five or more years. Ric
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04 - 07 Beringer Vertical Tasting (My House): The oldest of a 4 year Beringer vertical. It was drinking very well. There was red fruit and spice on the nose. I did like some of the old world qualities of the wine. It was #2 behind the 2007, which may not be a fair comparison. I still thought this was an excellent wine. I think it is in its prime drinking window now.
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Fine but too primary wine at this price point. Blue fruit with decent tannins and acidity which lengthened the finish. Oaky in a purely woody way. Some anise and new leather notes. Not special.
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In light of others' comments, I was surprised to find the fruit overripe for my taste. Not what I would call "muted" or "understated" even for a California Cab. Perhaps I just caught the wine on a bad day (or three, since I came back to it twice), but the nose ranged from intense fruit to spirit, without the florals some have described, and the palate, while balanced somewhat by some restrained tannin and the beginnings of secondary leathery notes, tasted mostly of berries that have sat a day or more too long. For what it's worth, it was best on day 4.
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Very nice wine. Clear beam of blackcurrant admidst expected dark fruits, even if fruits just a little muted. Rich and well integrated. Fun to drink now.
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Decanted 3 hours but pretty much ready from the start. Sweet red fruit, tobacco, cedar, and minerals. Fine tannins on the finish. Ready to go now or in 10 years.
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Currant, sweet cherry, tobacco, and mocha. Silky smooth finish, perfectly balanced. Relatively simple flavor profile, but just what you expect from an aged Napa cab in a classic, understated style.
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Good, balanced, well made easy drinking properly aged cab, so good score in order. But somehow lacking a wow that propels it to the next echelon. Drink anytime.
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Dinner at home with Lionel and Rachel (Pine Close): A yummy, beautifully drinkable wine. After an hour or so in the decanter, this was absolutely singing. On the nose, it showed pretty notes of sweet, ripe cassis and red berries seasoned with drifts of tobacco spice, earth and wild herbs. The palate seemed on its way to being completely resolved, with soft, round tannins and bright acidity framing yummy flavours of ripe cassis and gummy berries, again with a flush of baking spices and smoky tobacco notes lingering away in a nice, juicy finish. No one would accuse this of being a Bordeaux with its sweet, sunny disposition, but it was far from being a new world bruiser - it was elegant, comfortable and absolutely delicious; a lovely wine at a beautiful place now.
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In my opinion this needs more time. Tannins were screaming. We drank this with the 2005 and everyone picked the 2005 with no hesitation. This was thinner, and lighter in color. Not as elegant as the 2005. Much sharper with cherries, tea leaves, mint and eucalyptus. A very nice wine that would have been better if we didn't drink the 2005 first.
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Subdued tannins, medium alcohol. Blackberries, black cherries and currants with some smokiness. Paired with beef tenderloin. Drank along with a Mondavi 2004-- this was choice of the guests.
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Dark and ripe fruit (blackberry, cassis), chocolate and smooth tannins. The wine was very round with some heat at the end (noticable but not too obtrusive).
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As of right now, this wine still needs a good decant. It opened fully the second night, revealing luscious dark fruit, smoke and graphite. The nose was closed the first night. Long finish with moderate tannins. Wish I had more, as I think this is in the early stages of its drinking window.
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We drank this bottle next to a 2003 Pichon and the Beringer Private reserve was far superior. The pichon did open up and calm down after about 6 hours of decanting but the Beringer was excellent from the moment the bottle was opened through the whole afternoon and evening. The tannin had settled in and was very tame - beautiful nose with some subtle red current, mocha and chocolate and a hint of vanilla on the finish. This had none of the barnyard beginning leather or tobacco of the Pichon. I believe the wine has the structure to retain its complexity for several more years and this is drinking fabulous right now - amazing.
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Took to Europa Restaurant in Herndon. Delicious, only getting better with age. Still dark but a smidge lighter at the edges. Cedar and dark fruit on the nose. Tannins are smoothing out but still noticeable an hour after opening. Not necessarily a baby, maybe a teenage with years ahead of it.
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I decanted it about an hour before dinner and sampled a glass throughout the cooking process. Purple shading into a deep ruby. Modest sediment. The bouquet took a while to open up, but eventually developed some seriously complex associations. Cedar, leather, cassis, and black cherry. On the palate, it was medium to full bodied with a long finish. Again, cedar, leather, cassis, and black cherry were the dominant flavor associations, as well as blackberry and mocha java. Well balanced. Still has plenty of structure to support aging, but is drinking well now. I'll probably space out the remaining bottles over the next 8-10 years.
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Haven't written a note in a while, but I feel compelled to with this one. Where to start?? Nose: cedar, leather, black fruit, intoxicating. Palate: Med-full bodied. still firing on all cylinders 11 years later. Silky smooth texture with a very long, well balanced finish. (Acid/tannins very much in check.) Not sure that this will necessarily IMPROVE, but it will stay at this peak level for a long time. Just brilliant.
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From Magnum. Drank at Sutton's for guys' annual birthday dinner accompanied by home 21 day dry aged prime grade prime rib (from Costco, of course). Followed 2001 Shafer Sunspot mag and more than held its own. Really perfect balance going with the meat, good flavors but not over the top or in conflict with the meal. I know this was relatively inexpensive so clearly a steal in the world of big boys. Wish I had bought more. Drink soon, though. Don't see this holding up so well another 10 yea
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From Magnum. Drank at Sutton's for guys' annual birthday dinner accompanied by home 21 day dry aged prime grade prime rib (from Costco, of course). Followed 2001 Shafer Sunspot mag and more than held its own. Really perfect balance going with the meat, good flavors but not over the top or in conflict with the meal. I know this was relatively inexpensive so clearly a steal in the world of big boys. Wish I had bought more. Drink soon, though. Don't see this holding up so well another 10 years.
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Originally coravin'd 9/2014. Finished tonight. This is still dark and brooding. Lead pencil in the nose and on the palate together with vanilla. More French than new Napa cab. Dry'ish yet full bodied with light, dark fruit on the nose. Finish is dark fruit too.
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Double decanted for three hours, tasted blind initially. Somewhat muted nose, red fruit and spice, one of the more complex noses. Medium plus body, medium acidity, this is more balanced than Some of its contemporaries. A bit flat on the mid palate, it leaves you a little flat.
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Brief decant. Dark inky red in glass. Nice rich deep aged dark cherry, light hints of tobacco, earth, vanilla. Well balanced with touch of acid and tannin. Opened up during course of meal, moderately long finish. Drinking very well, but looks to have more time ahead.
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Note consistent with last bottle: A user friendly wine. Lovely fruit, showing well. Balanced acidity and tannin. Showed beautifully after two hours in the decanter. Drink now or hold for up to 10 years.
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From a split. Very nice. Featuring chocolate and dark berries. This still has some life in it and can likely last another decade. This bottle was not quite as well-integrated as prior bottles, but still very good.
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Decanted; a bit thin and not very complex, did not hold up well w/ the steak. Disappointing as I was really looking forward to this. Maybe a bad bottle..still one more in the cellar.
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Thanksgiving with friends & family. Great bottle, correctly guessed it was 04 Beringer. Or Bordeaux, tasted a bit like it with its earthiness but big fruit like Napa Cab. Classic wine.
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From 375. The wine is still very good but starting to lose its fruit compared to a couple of years ago. Complex and dense but not overly ripe - enjoyable wine. Imagine it should continue to hold in a larger format but half bottles are ready to drink.
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Seymour Wine Club Meeting 11/1/13 (Home of the Slywka's): I really enjoyed this wine although I would have never guessed it was a Beringer Private Reserve. The nose had aromas a rose, cherry and earth. It actually had a little funk that blew off. This was medium to full bodied with flavors of blackberry, raspberry and sour cherry and ended with a 20 second finish.
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Popped and poured. Great classic cab nose of cassis, red currant, and sour cherry along with some cedar and a hint of herbs. On the palate, rich and silky with red currant, black cherry, blackberry, cedar, and hints of vanilla. Long finish with smooth tannic grip. Really well done, just entering its drinking window and should evolve and get better from here. Drink or hold.
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A user friendly wine. Lovely fruit, showing well. Balanced acidity and tannin. Showed beautifully after two hours in the decanter. Drink now or hold--this will last for a long while.
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Still young. The wine is Purple colored. The legs are Slow. It smells like Blackberry, Bark, Alcohol, a bit Hot, and Chocolate. It tastes like Black currant (cassis), Blackberry, Chocolate, and Oak. The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Angular texture. The wine has a long finish.
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Nicely elegant from an elegant vintage. Not over the top. Plenty of life left. Perfect with a steak. If you want a fruit bomb, this is not it. I enjoyed this very much. Too bad it's my last bottle
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Still very youthful, displaying a dark ruby-purple color and a plummy nose of licorice, vanilla and mint. Oak is still evident but of high quality. Medium to full bodied with balancing acidity, velvety tannins and a long aftertaste. Could improve further with cellaring.
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This bottle was a little less complex than prior, but still a great Napa style cab. Lovely cedar and cassis nose. Palate isn't the most concentrated, but very expressive, with pure cassis driven fruit profile and fine tannins on the back end. Finishes with sweet fruit with a nice blend of cedar styled oak. Perfectly balanced. Drink or hold--still a little primary and should continue to age for some time.
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Pop & pour. Wine had seeped through the cork, which worried me a tad, but it was a great wine. Should have decanted, as this started off rather soft, but gained structure and flavor with air. By the time it was singing, the bottle was gone. Great cassis fruit, tobacco, earth and boysenberry. Ample oak, but integrating nicely.
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My last one, which is too bad. Drank great right from decanting, with beautiful fruit and great balance. Over next hour thought the structure really grew, leading me to believe this wine still has many years of great drinking ahead.
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Beringer Reserve is always a favorite of mine - and this bottle did not disappoint. Big nose of boysenberry/blackberry, cassis, earth and dust. Vanilla and oak also appear on the palate. Medium body and super-smooth and silky with excellent balance and good concentration. Long, fruity finish. A bit more fruit-forward, more lush and with less structure than I typically experience with Beringer Reserve, but as always, a terrific combination of California fruit along with some bordeaux-style elegance.
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- Purple color with fast forming legs. It's balanced with a medium/full body. Smooth texture with a short finish - Fantastic wine! Smooth and delicious.
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Really nice restrained Napa cab. Extremely impressed by this. Blackberries, chocolate and cedar. Silky smooth and nice acidity and smooth tannins that balance this out. Delicious. No heat or oak to this.
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Always delicious and very well made. This really needs another 5 years to drop a little sweetness and primary fruit for my palate. Drink over the next 5-10+
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Really supple feminine showing of rose petals, bright bing cherries laced with some vanilla and light toffee. Really yummy factor with a nice ripe mid palate and an overall quite sweet but elegant tannin structure. Really vivid and lively styling. Plush and velvety textured. Layered milky chocolate goodness throughout. Really rich but sweet tannin on the back end. Lower acidity. Drinking well now. Andrew and Brad were both 95's - this rocked. Everyone enjoyed it over the '02 Opus in fact.
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This is my type of Cabernet! Ripe without being extracted or over oaked. This wine has a wonderful balance of fruit, tannin and complexity. Drink over the next 10 years...AM
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This was really showing well. Decanted and consumed over a few hours, but was ready to go upon opening. Nose was showing cedar, chocolate and black currants with a touch of leather. Palate was smooth and round, really coating the mouth with little perceptible tannin. Quite fruit forward, with cassis added to the blackberries and currants. Lengthy chocolate, cedar spice, and coffee finish. Delicious Napa cab in a restrained style, not super concentrated or complex, just tasty. I know this bottling has a history of aging well, but I didn't get a lot of structure this time. Drinking great now with no clear upside, though is in no danger of fading soon. Update- on night 2 really tightened up with lots of tannins. Will probably age well over next 5-10yrs.
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Dark ruby. Explosive nose with intense licorice, sweet oak, dark berries, cedar and floral nuances. Full-bodied with very rich, ripe fruit, velvety tannins and an acidic lift offfering balance, elegance (despite the power) and food-friendliness. Very long finish. Awesome, opulent and voluptuous Napa cab.
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Medium deep ruby, not even garnet yet. Nose has a very beautiful floral lift, full of violets, creamy oak notes and fresh red and black berry fruit. Also faint notes of cedar and green peppers give away the wine as Cabernet. Nice refreshing palate full of flavour with acidity to balance extract. Wonderful fresh wine which can age but is drinking beautifully now.
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The nose is intense with pure red and black fruits exploding from the glass. The palate shows ripe black and red currant, black cherries, blackberries, boysenberries and more. There is a hint of cola and some real nicely welcomed minerality present. The purity is insane as is the balance. It is true to the vintage, with a slight 'fatness' that I really really like. It has some lead pencil, creme de cassis (Kirsch) and some Cherry Herring Liqueur. This is both elegant and wildly rambunctious all at the same time.. The finish is nutty long, with those fruit notes just continuing on and on. I like the combo of vintage typicity with the hallmark Beringer Reserve profile. I grabbed a bunch of these last month for a song, and glad I did.
Good Saturday to you all!
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From a split. Excellent bottle. Sweet and smooth with somewhat noticeable oak and a lingering finish of raspberry and vanilla. This is drinking very well right now, but seems to have the balance to last for quite a bit longer. My second experience with this wine and both bottles showed extremely well.
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Big complex cab that was easy to drink. Took a few minutes for it to open. Wine was well balanced from beginning to the end. Fruit was not overpowering with a lot of depth.
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nose - greenish nose, hay, earth mouth - dark cherry, bitterness (bitter chocolate?), herbality. overall an intriguing cuvee that is well balanced and mixed in style, that will frustrate the fruit bomb lover. I have a bottle of this stashed away for my daughter's 21st birthday in 2025, and am most interested to see how it will turn out.
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consistent to previous tasting notes. A nice wine that doesn't disappoint. It isn't at the "cult" level, but a solid effort. Doesn't show secondaries yet, probably needs another 5 years to reveal more depth and character in the wine. Decant for 2 plus hours at least.
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I am an unabashed fan of this wine year after year. It is always excellent while never over the top. Big but gracious flavors tell you that it's Napa Cab but there is an overall sense of balance and harmony with just a little flamboyance. This will never be a 100 point wine and doesn't want to be. It is just an excellent one that never seems to disappoint.
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I wish we could have decanted for a few hours but this was bottle number 2 brought to the restaurant so we couldn't decant until we finished bottle # 1 (Justin Justification). It probably sat open in the bottle for an hour then spent maybe 30 min in the decanter before consuming with a main course of hanger steak and confit potatoes. You can tell the wine is young and coming into its own but it was still excellent. If you've got this one in the cellar I'd say you can sit on it 5-10 years and it will probably develop into a 94+ wine. If you decant now i'd say it's still a fantastic wine in the 91-93 range.
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Another fantastic showing, with notes of black cherry, chocolate, and a hint of vanilla. Medium-bodied, rich, lush and flavorful; long and nicely focused finish. Nicole positively adored it!
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Popped and poured with dinner. A lovely purple-ruby color, with no signs of age. A noble boquet, offering up scents of cassis, black currant, lilly and a hint of vanilla. Medium-bodied, with great concentration of fruit, a round texture, and long and hedonistic finish. Nicole positively adored this wine.
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Blackfruits, a floral note, cigar box on the nose; could pass for a paulliac. This is regal and polished, with firm tannin and a cashmere mouthfeel. Layers of black and blue currant, plum, blackberry, with wood framing the finish, which is long and complex. This is youthfully acidic yet, and is sure to develop further nuance as well.
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Second magnum of the night at the team Christmas dinner. This was served with lamp chops after a Caymus 2005. This is a great bottle, but did not stand up to the Caymus. Drinking well, very rounded, but not a big in your face wine, much more subtle.
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Jumped the gun on this one. Tightly structured nose and palate that never fully opened up. Underlying quality clearly evident and deserving of another four years in the sack to reach its potential.
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Drank with Weber grilled Porterhouses, rice and broccoli, popped, decanted and poured w/o waiting. Opened nicely over the next 2 hours and was as usual a great bottle of wine. Blue black fruits, casis and just enough wood to balance it all. The things that suffered most by being drunk as a pop and pour were the nose and finish was a little truncated.
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Solid trademark private reserve - VGS (Very Good "Stuff" - or other "S") So far it is making the trip. I would guess good for a few more years, but no need to wait as it is very good right now.
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Had my first bottle of this in Oct'07 (admittedly way too young but couldn't resist) and it took 3 to 4 hours to even begin to open up and made a note to wait 2 years. Had a bottle this week 2 1/2 years later and it still took 3 to 4 hours to begin to open up but it continued to open for another couple of hours and not sure it got to where it was going even then. Once it began to open it showed excellent dark fruits, nice oak overtones and a decent albeit brief finish. It was still a bit tannic but not overly dry or bitter. My guess is another couple of years may improve it so will wait until 2012 to try the next one. QPR is very low at this point. Hopefully it will recover with time.
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Not much change in 6 mos but with some air, garnet is showing on the rim after about 30 minutes. More Chocolate notes coming out.
Appearance: Deep ruby, medium plus color intensity, clean and bright Nose: Black Currant, plum green pepper, spice, chocolate, mint and herbal notes Palate: Lush mouth feel with confiture, cassis, chocolate and herbal notes. Fruit driven, balanced med acidity, fine tannins This is a solid performer that will age well and has not yet reached its peak.
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Excellent Cab - complex and smooth, nice berry flavors. Agree with the 94/95 point reviews below, except not sure it will get too much better - feels like it is drinking pretty close to peak..
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Complex, concentrated and delicious with dark fruit flavors this Cab exceeded all expectations. Excellent blend of structured tannins and fruit...wish I had many more bottles of this. The finish last for 20+ seconds...yum!
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This wine was aerating for approximately 3 hours before I tasted it. It was the last wine of the evening and followed numerous bottles of Burgundy and a wonderful bottle of Bordeaux. The wine was heavier, contrasting greatly to the burgs we had. I always enjoy this wine and this evening was no different. The air time really helped this wine smooth out and develop alot of weight on the palate. A solid effort and very enjoyable.
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Decanted for 3 hours. The last bottle of the dinner. Something was amiss to me, probably the palate fatigue kicked in. I say that because 12 hours after the opening the empty bottle smells like a million bucks!
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a bit too much oak, wine needs more aging, but after 2 1/2 hours decanting the wine's finesse became apparent. If you like em young, this won't disappoint.
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Appearance: Deep ruby, medium plus color intensity, clean and bright Nose: Black Currant, plum green pepper, spice, chocolate, mint and herbal notes Palate: Lush mouth feel with confiture, cassis, chocolate and herbal notes. Fruit driven, balanced med acidity, fine tannins This is a solid performer that will age well and has not yet reached its peak.
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First wintry nite; with braised beef short ribs, salt packed roast potatoes; quite harsh in nose and taste upon opening; tannins quite obvious and fruit almost completely masked. Allowed to breath 45 minutes;
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Consistent with my initial review, except for modest improvement in depth and finish. Took to Smith and Wollensky's in Las Vegas...fantastic paring with prime beef.
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Clean plum jam on the nose and in the mouith, with some oakey vanilla. Enough mild tanins and fruit to age manny more years. Some acidity on the finish to likely go well with food, although we haven't waited for dinner to finish cooking because this drinks beautifully by itself. This may be the best Cali cab I've had this year.
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Nice Opulent Character. Fruity and full bodied. I probably should wait a few years before drinking more, but it tastes very good and a good deal for the price. Should improve over time.
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had with several other cabs for a celebration of the birth of Molly, my daughters first child. Of all the cabs we had this was the lowest rated, even though it has an incredible nose. Wasn't as big and bold or as flavorful as the others, smooth. The other cabs were an 01 Plumpjack Reserve-94pts. an 06 Pina 92pts, 04 John Anthony 92pts, 04 Hidden ridge 91pts, Cliff lede 92pts, 03 Darioush 92pts
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After about an hour of decanting wine started showing rather well. Not very complex in my opinion, seems high in alcohol content. Nice purple hue. Decent fruit on the palate, pretty decent finish, decent value for the money (about $72 at the time of this review). Still could use bottle time. I have alot and wanted to try it again to compare notes. Same score, didn't check the score before I wrote this review. Consistent tasting notes.
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Clear garnet core of moderate intensity out to a pale red edge and thin watery rim - youthful. Clean nose of moderate plus intensity showing dark plum, cassis, chocolate, mint and herbal notes. Moderate tannin, acid, alcohol and body - extremely well balanced for this early in it's development. Dry with moderately intense flavours of light plum and dried black cherry. Moderately long finish. This is very well made with no holes in it - very smooth with almost no astringency. Not in the least developed yet but I'm not convinced this will continue to develop well. I'd drink over the next 5 years or so (unless it decides to shut down) because it's so friendly right now.
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potent broad base of dark cherry and plum with full mid palate, approachable tannins and adeq acidity; lush for a younger cab and with plenty of potential for aging;
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The 2002 vintage of this wine is one of my all time favorites, this 2004 is also quite good. The color is a bright scarlet, it looks well aged and full bodied. The nose is quite open with blackberry, chocolate, oak, leather and a slight tobacco odor. The taste is what I've come to expect of good vintage of this reserve cabernet blend. The tart full fruit strikes the palette first with a wave of sweetness and complexity. The middle has an acidic structure as the fruit fades away to a long tannin finish. This wine will get even better as the tannins mellow over the next few years but may never be as good as the 2002. 94
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(2) Drank at Dad’s with Mom, Mike & Elizabeth. Very fruit-forward at first but didn’t have much after that. Not bad but nothing special. Maybe needed more time or more decanting (only decanted a few minutes). Poor QPR.
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Nice fruit. Typical of many good 04's. I would advise keeping this cellared for a couple of years at least. The wine was very tannic as compared to the Groth 97 Reserve we had the same night, which is to be expected. But also shows that the Beringers has alot of future potential.
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Had a verticle of the 01,02,03,04 this was one of the favorites. All were excellent. The wines were opened for four hours after which the tasting began. Rich jammy fruit, full grip on the tanin which says this one will better with extensive time. Full finish with notes of cedar oak, pencil,
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Received this as a gift. Popped and poured. This was pretty tight at first, but that wasn't surprising. Dark black and blueberries, currant, vanilla and spice on the nose. Taste followed the nose, with some pretty hefty tannins coming through on the finish. After some time being open, the wine softened to show more dark chocolate and forest floor. Really well made wine, and I really enjoyed it. While it drinks well now, I think it will be much more enjoyable with another 5+ more years of bottle age. I say 90-91 for now, but easily 93+ in the future.
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Notes consistent with prior bottle except that this wines mid palate seemed to hollow out some with extended aeration. On pop and pour it was terrific.
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Deep ruby-purple color. Initially very closed, eventually showing mineral, wood, roasted coffee notes, and plentiful fruit (currants and grapes). Lots of acidity and mild but bitter tannins. This is nowhere near ready now, but may improve with a few years age. Somewhat interesting potential here, but lacking in richness, nothing special. Disappointing in this price range.
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Very nice wine. Excellent nose. I thoroughly enjoyed this bottle. If you're drinking with non oenophiles give them the Founders Reserve. They won't notice the difference at one tenth the price. (see my Founders Reserve note).
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Dark rich color. The mushrooms, green pepers, smoke and earth mix perfect with the dark fruits. The balance of this wine is one of the best i have ever seen. The finish is ultra-long and chewy.
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Saturday Club - August 2, 2008 (Elliot's house): Lots of adjectives here -- huge, ripe, jammy, dense, coconut, pure, tasty, balanced, and long... what more can you ask for? This is really wonderful California Cabernet. Much, much better than last week's 2005 Switchback Ridge -- and, I suspect it will improve with age. If more people were making wines like this one at this price level, I might start buying them again. Reminds me of the 1992 on release. Really terrific stuff with some upside.
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Had this in a group setting for dinner. This is ready to drink now with a chocolate-like taste to it with cherry undertone. No tanins to speak of and was better than the K Kennedy we had alongside it. Would definitely get more if I can find it.
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Decanted 3 hours. I think that was too long. The chocolate and vanilla was very present. Enjoyable, but I think I missed out on some of the fruit. I recall drinking this wine at another time without decanting and enjoyed drinking it over a few hours to taste the changes. Next bottle pop pour and enjoy.
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After pop and pour, nose of sweet vanilla, red fruits, tobacco and a touch of licorice. On the palate, fine dusty tannins. Tastes like a Napa cab should. In the mouth, a little tight with flavors of sweet black cherry, touch of red rasberry. Scored a 93 after pop and pour.
After an hour and a half in the decanter, the wine has gained mass and in addition to the notes above above, I sense some chocalate in the nose and the palate. The air has really rounded out the wine. This wine is a bargain at $80 and it may have benefitted a point from this and the juicy ribeye I had with it. Perfect meal. Glad I have another bottle.
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Wine Spectator Grand Tour (Las Vegas): Have to admit I perfer Napa to Bordeaux. I know start throwing things at me but there it is. Wonderful cherry and plum aromas with a full bodied creamy mouth feel. Chocolate and more red fruits on the delicious finish. Yum.
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Compared to the '03 which I tasted roughly one year ago, the '04 is less restrained and larger scaled. Very lush, rich, and massive in the mouth, there is a lot of fruit and substance here, as well as tannic grip. The nose features muted aromas of red fruits (cherry, blackberry, etc.), and hints of mocha and leather. Today it's all about stature and structure, very voluptuous and impressive. It should be a real special experience in about 10 years! 92-95.
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Served with a ’54 Ygay, 84 Beringer’s PR, ’94 Beringer’s PR and ’04 Beringers
Deep garnet red. Filled with layers and complexity. The fruit flavors are lined with earth and leathery tones. Nice balanced tannins and lasting finish. Outstanding. 93
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HWM Blind CA Cab Sauv Testing - The nose was a little closed but nice and subtle. Very focused and flawless. A nice chalkiness. Great finish. Longest of the tasting. Ranked #2 in tasting.
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I don't experience many wines I would consider "closed," but boy I was expecting a lot more here. I could detect hints of licorice and cassis and dark fruits on the nose, but it was very shy. The taste was better (and enjoyable) with a nice solid structure but I had the 2001 at about the same point in time and was absolutely blown away. Not the case here. Would love to try it again in a few years, but that would mean someone would have to bring over another bottle.
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Drank at a wine tasting along with an 03' Betz Cabernet and an 03' Showket. The Berringer was decanted for 3 hours and served at room temp. This wine is worth the price. Deep dark fruit and smooth tannins that frame a complete wine. Finish lingers for more than a minute. I must point out that the Showket and the Betz both showed well and had much harsher tannins.
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I have enjoyed many vintages of Beringer Reserve Cab and this is very typical of previous vintages. It is an elegant wine - somewhat more like a super-second bordeaux than a top-notch California cab. What always strikes me is the velvety mouth-feel and combination of red and dark berry flavors -- usually with a hint of vanilla. It needs more time in the bottle as it remains tightly wound as of 1/08.
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Much better than the 2003. Great balance and depth. Very good complexity. needs some time, but has the power, depth and complexity. Very good wine. 93-94 points. Not much to dislike about this one.
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What a spectacular wine. The aromas were jumping from the glass the moment it was opened in the restaurant bar. We let it breathe for an hour or two and then, when in the room, enjoyed our first sips. It was awesome. Huge notes of deep blackberries, and raspberries. Oak and casis dominate the palate, yet allow way for secondary aromas of rose petals cigar box and leather. Huge finish exceeding 30 seconds. Balanced and totally mouth coating. I can't wait to see what this tastes like in five or so years. Still a youngster for sure.
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Rich, dense and chewy, with ripe plum, blackberry, fresh earth and mineral flavors, framed by smoky, cedary oak. Intense and persistent, ending with a mix of cherry and currant fruit. The tannins are firm but ripe. Needs time. Best from 2009 through 2018. 8,200 cases made. 'JL
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It is a fruit-forward, softer, more flamboyant, already seductive effort displaying gorgeous notes of chocolaty creme de casis, some spicy, high quality, toasty oak, a rich, plush, savory, expansive mid-palate, and a long heady finish...This wine is delicious yet promises to age gorgeously for 15-20 years
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2/5/2024 - bryon m Likes this wine: 90 Points
Good color, body a little light. Nice berry berry from start to end. Short finish that was pleasant.
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12/7/2023 - essenceofreal wrote: 93 Points
bottle was in prime time!! super delish.
decanted, first hour a bit rough, after 2 hours so smooth and integrated.
really old school napa which i love. not the jammy over extracted adulterated flavored napa fruit bomb nonsense. my book that is flavored wine and should be labeled as such but thats a story for another time.
poker gang loved loved loved it. said they're not used to napa wine being so smooth
this bottle was at peak peak. i have another and feel should consume sooner rather than later.
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11/23/2023 - sdwineguru Likes this wine: 93 Points
Napa classic 2004 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve. Mid garnet, brick edges, viscous (14.4 alc.); herbaceous, red fruit, mint, berry nose; mid acids/tannins; balanced; nice style; semi-long red fruit and berry finish. w/Thanksgiving fare. 17.5 UC Davis scale, 93 others.
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11/23/2023 - ragtop Likes this wine: 97 Points
dark purple. no brown noted. fruity full but not powerful nose. no tannin left. full bodied and fantastic palate. drinking well now. will not likely improve, but should keep well 5+yrs. The cork was soft and maybe only 1mm of wine at the edge. A very good seal.
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9/3/2023 - PIFGD Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking great and cork looked like it was a new bottle - not 20 years old
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8/26/2023 - Lakewine23 wrote: flawed
prune finish
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6/20/2023 - Rollerball wrote:
Magnum. PnP was perfect with smoked brisket sandwiches on sweet rolls with all the fixins. Everyone's wotn. Would drink 750s now. Magnums -2026 easy.
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5/19/2023 - CRL Stc Likes this wine: 91 Points
This bottle was just past peak compared to the previous bottle. Decanted and should have PnP. Cork was delicate so be careful.
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4/27/2023 - CRL Stc Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still going strong. Estimate 2 - 4 more years, but easily could surprise with longer. Cork was dry and split - so be careful opening this beauty.
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4/8/2023 - Ricky99 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful on the nose - amazingly still quite big but very balanced... Decanted 30 min and drank over 2 hours... sad to see this lot go
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1/3/2023 - wino121 wrote: 94 Points
Fabulous wine, in the bubble. One of the better bottles I’ve had in a bit.
Drink it now..it’s great!
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11/12/2022 - kzkpt Likes this wine: 94 Points
Holy shit. Dark ruby, zero bricking. Medium bodied with enough acid left to balance the matured red/black fruits. Absolutely classic high-end California cab, but not a fruit bomb by any means. Sweetish edge and soft but still lovely tannins. Nose of black cherry, cassis, some black olives. Probably 40 second finish, with the acids still pinging back of tongue. I almost opened my last '95 of the same stuff, but with some giant 100 day dry aged Jack's Creek Aussie wagyu from Swagyu Chop Shop (astounding quality), I wanted something less soft. These notes from 30 min decant and it keeps getting better. Delicious. Next bottle tonight is 2005 Bond St. Eden. Life Does Not Suck.
Note: After 2 hours in decant, the fruit fell away, leaving a nice, but somewhat thin wine. One hour is the right decant time.
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6/24/2022 - Rocks1970 Likes this wine: 94 Points
I might have a strange palette, but I get Carmel up front and chocolate on the finish. Really lovely.
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6/3/2022 - Vinobc wrote: 95 Points
Double decanted, opening 3 hours before drinking. Red and blue fruit nose. No bricking at all, none. Plum, cherry and blackberry palate. Long finish with a hint of chocolate. Enjoyed with a cowboy ribeye, 72% cocoa chocolate. Outstanding.
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4/27/2022 - devraj Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark ruby purple in color. Lovely aromas of cassis, graphite, cedar and spice box. A rich and silky palate follows through with smoky cassis, dark chocolate, spice, well integrated wood, acidity and tannins and a long perfumed and mineral laden finish. Superb.
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12/30/2021 - SonOfBarolo Likes this wine: 91 Points
I get what people are saying about the diversity of aromatics (cinnamon?), but the dearth of earthiness prevents it from achieving greatness for me. If you like a Cab that sings instead of bellows though, this is definitely for you.
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12/8/2021 - Thomas D Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark ruby colored; blueberry, red plum and anise on the nose. Moderate well integrated tannins with full body. Initially after 30 min of decanting there was a taste of clay or tar on the mid palate but that went away. Otherwise it had a rich taste of blue fruit, cassis, cocoa and earth. Nice lingering finish. I wouldn’t hold this much longer.
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12/1/2021 - wabi47 wrote: 93 Points
perfectly ripe mixed berry, cigar box; all the components mesh so well
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11/27/2021 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Aromas of dried cherry, blackberry, currant, melted chocolate and rose petal. Flavors of black cherry, blackberry, currant, mocha and touch of earth. Ends with a 30-35 second finish with blackberry notes. Better than the last time I had it but starting to show its age. Probably a bit better 5 years ago.
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11/20/2021 - martin_e Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beringer Private Reserve rarely disappoints, usually a good value, especially some of the older vintages. This one is also enjoyable, very smooth well-integrated wine emphasizing black berries and plum.
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2/22/2021 - RH_Palmer09 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Juat opened it and decanted for 30 minites. Great nose wonderful finish. Bold but smooth. Rich dark fruits. Spectactular.
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2/21/2021 - WineCPA wrote: 95 Points
Still showed very nicely. Definitely a young 2004. Drinkable now & over next few years. Moderate tannins. Loads of blackberry, cassis tar, semisweet chocolate & leather. Better on first night. Didn't hold up well for day two.
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2/14/2021 - BigBoy_Sonoma Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wine decanted 1 hour.
Black fruit, jammy blue berries, herbal notes, black licorice, chocolate, finishes silky smooth. It’s outstanding and still showing strong. A
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12/25/2020 - Wpdawg Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for about an hour. Started out a bit harsh and then all of a sudden it mellowed and a significant spice element came to the forefront. Held up for several hours. Wish I had more.
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12/11/2020 - dlcolester Likes this wine: 92 Points
For a 16 year old CA cab it drank with good depth and smoothness. Lingering delicious after taste.
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12/9/2020 - iamandyc Likes this wine: 91 Points
I would say to drink up. It's still in a good spot but this bottle seemed to be fading some. Nice mature bottle but the body feels like its starting to fall away. Still relatively primary. Enjoyable but not special.
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11/26/2020 - jwhiggins wrote: 99 Points
A wine with incredible balance and complexity. A plethora of interesting aromas and flavors: cedar, vanilla, damsons, cassis, coffee, cocoa, graphite, gun oil, and herbs. Very plush and refined tannins. Slightly unctuous with a fabulous mouth feel and long silky finish. One of the best bottles I have drunk in a while. Drinking very well now, but could easily go 20 years. A nearly perfect wine and a paradigm of what cellaring can do for a wine.
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8/22/2020 - cos65 Likes this wine:
Served blind.
I thought this was 8 years younger. Still broodingly dark and rather tannic, but with a few hours, this opened up beautifully.
Quite impressive and really lovely.
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8/8/2020 - boston617 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Berry notes with honey and walnuts. Cork destroyed so had to filter the wine.
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5/31/2020 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still performing nicely but it is now on its descent. The dark fruit is sharing center stage with graphite light tobacco notes. The foundation of the wine is a bit shaky. Drink up.
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5/31/2020 - Oldmanzin wrote:
Flawed
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5/16/2020 - jst914 wrote:
Probably being unfair, could be a solid 95. Now reaching it’s 3rd hour of decanting and hitting on all cylinders. Deep dark color just starting to take on the subdued hue of a mature Cabernet. Beautiful nose of black cherry with a hint of French vanilla. Was a heavyweight at one time but now presenting as a medium to light mouthfeel with wonderful finish of black cherry. Impossible to imagine this getting any better. Drink now, what a treat! Would definitely give the ‘04 Anderson’s Conn Valley Estate Reserve Cabernet a run for its money. Can’t wait to try them side-by-side!
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2/23/2020 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 94 Points
My last bottle of this beauty. Excellent mature cab. Elegant fruit with a complex flavor profile. Give it about an hour of air. Drink or hold
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2/22/2020 - AllRed wrote: 88 Points
4th Saturday Group: Old vs Young (T&L's): Black fruit with funky vegetal overtones. Medium-bodied with slightly coarse tannin and flavors of black fruit, tobacco and more vegetal elements. The fruit is good, but the vegetal elements are somewhat distracting...perhaps a touch of brettanomyces.
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11/29/2019 - Apollo5710 wrote: 93 Points
Stored in a climate-controlled cellar since purchase on release. The complex nose immediately leaped from the glass to reveal a plethora of earthy/minty dark fruit notes (e.g., blackberry, blueberry, mulberry) coupled with licorice, cassis, and a hint of chocolate. Good inner core of fruit on the rich palate accompanied by a still notable acidic/tannic structure, although quite suave and polished. We struggled about whether we should decant or not, ultimately deciding to decant, which I now regret. The wine was at its best in the first few hours, with the nose being the highlight, morphing into cedar, forest floor, followed by dark chocolate, coffee, and graphite. It seemingly changed with each whiff and sip. After 3-4 hours, spice and soy came to the fore, although it was at this point that it began to lose some weight and depth in the mouth (coupled with some harshness). My score is based on the first 2-3 hours, after which it declined. As such, I'd agree with previous tasters that this is still quite good, but might have already seen its best days.
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9/26/2019 - guitarguy Likes this wine: 91 Points
A deep nose of cranberry and blueberry. Hints of cracked pepper, blue berries, moderate tannin, some heat with a bit of length. Probably not declining terribly but also can't think this hasn't been through the peak and maybe in a holding period. Seems like the fruit won't hold up past those sneaky tannins.
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9/2/2019 - BrunelloBob wrote: 91 Points
Solid, outperformed a 2002 Lewis Reserve we had next.
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8/8/2019 - evanlyall Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really nice out of the bottle. Still very big!
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6/12/2019 - webbaker Likes this wine: 93 Points
Second tasting with consistent notes. Leaning towards BDX style. Strong aromatic notes, fruit receding.
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5/19/2019 - bryon m wrote: 92 Points
This wine has held up really well. Color, clarity and body is really good. When the wine was poured it had bubbles on the top as if the wine was one years old. Very approachable! Aroma of plum and black currant.. When drinking it had dark fruit and wood at the finish. Once open for 30 Plus Minutes the flavors change adding some Vanilla
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5/11/2019 - BigBoy_Sonoma Likes this wine: 95 Points
Big jammy fruit, both black and reds, herbal notes, cedar, tobacco minerality and graphite and finishes with silky tannins. There hints of mocha on every third or fourth slip. What's surprising is how fresh and vibrant the fruit is after 13 years in the bottle. Probably be fantastic for another decade or so. A
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4/24/2019 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 93 Points
same notes as last time accept that the wine was decanted for two hours riot to drinking. That took some of the vibrancy away from the wine, but it was still delicious. I don’t think this wine will get any better, but it will cruise for a hand full of years. Good juice.
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2/11/2019 - skurtz Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted at 1862 with dessert. Awesome pairing w chocolate soufflé. Really brings out the red fruit and milk chocolate on the palate.
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1/19/2019 - sdwineguru Likes this wine: 94 Points
MId-garnet, brick edges; herbaceous Napa nose; berries, cassis, wood, smoke; mid-body, balanced, softening tannins; long rich complex Cabernet finish; nice style.
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1/9/2019 - dsimmons wrote: flawed
I think this bottle was flawed. Acidity over the top. Cooked??
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12/25/2018 - rickspicks wrote: 93 Points
PnP. Dark purple with a bit of tea in the meniscus. Nose of cassis and blackberry jam, oak and earth. Fruity at first, and then becomes woodier over time. Medium-bodied and concentrated with a velvety, smooth. mouth-coating texture. Rather feminine, elegant and subtle with surprisingly bright acidity and soft, fine-grained tannins. In the background, eucalyptus along with a hint of vanilla and anise. California-ripeness with a Bordeaux-like structure. I liked it a bit better when it was younger and more powerful, but this seems to have settled into a comfortable plateau. I don't think there is any upside to waiting longer.
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12/13/2018 - skurtz Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened to breathe at Cafe Panache in Ramsey. A very classy cab, with the typical dark fruit, mineral and graphite. Smooth and easy to drink, perfect with my venison tonight.
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12/7/2018 - bitdrerik wrote: 94 Points
Jólasmakk Eðalklúbbsins 2018 (Marbakkabraut 12): Dökkt á litinn. Farið að sýna smá öldrunarmerki. Í nefi lofnarblóm og/eða fjólur í byrjun. Þægileg lykt, konfektkassi, svört kirsuber. Í bragðinu flott jafnvægi og fylling. Mjög ferskt. Fersk mynta.
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11/22/2018 - wayfarer Likes this wine: 93 Points
Per prior comment from 3 years ago: Dark inky red in glass. Nice rich deep aged dark cherry, light hints of tobacco, earth, vanilla. Well balanced with touch of acid and tannin.
Now: Lovely depth, but fruit is a tad muted, so the cherry is light behind the dusky tobacco & earth. Very good to excellent but tending to quite subtle display of richness. Good length. Nice with brined heirloom pork chops, sweet potato gratin. I agree with other recent notes suggesting now is the time to drink.
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9/29/2018 - Ricky99 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking great.. really great acid/fruit balance... lasting finish... probably near a peak
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7/23/2018 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 95 Points
Blue and black fruits mingle with graphite and iron ore notes. Wonderful texture and depth. Already displaying levels of complexity. This wine has excitement, balance and structure to evolve for another 15 years. Amazing juice for the level of production.
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7/12/2018 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 94 Points
I may be shorting this a point or two...Opened, but not decanted, for about 30 minutes before pouring at a restaurant. Along with 3 other Napa Cabs (2001 Cakebread, 1998 Peju and 2012 Raza). Probably the WOTN, drinking beautifully right now. In that place where there is still some fruit left, but developing the secondary flavor profiles of a wine that is more than a decade old. Notes of Cedar, and spice, along with a very long finish.
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6/24/2018 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 96 Points
Decanted 3 hours. Very elegant and ready to go right away with secondary notes just starting to emerge. Medium plus bodied and tannins fully resolved. Sweet red fruit, aged leather, dusty soil, cassis, vanilla bean, cedar, lavender, and eucalyptus. Lots of depth with plenty of structure. No doubt this has at least 5 more years of prime drinking.
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5/16/2018 - D.Callahan Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent Cabernet from Beringer! Very good nose followed by a burst of fruit on the front palate melding into a very well balanced mid palate of mineral flavors and spices, very good acidity and finishing with some still present tannins and a medium length after taste. Beringer Private Reserve always seems to come through with a reliably high quality product. This bottle was shared with a tri-tip steak and it greatly enhanced the flavor and enjoyment of the meal. This wine has years left of development so there's no rush to drink it
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12/7/2017 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark garnet, opaque, slight browning edges. Pronounced aromas, complex, pronounced herbal-bell pepper component and subtle spices. Nose also has black raspberry-blackberry, some cedar. Very interesting aromas. The flavors are full but round and nicely balanced, prominent acidity, soft tannins, plenty of smooth cabernet flavors, also with herbal components. Very long, smooth aftertaste. This is one of Napa's great classic estates, and this wine proves it. Outstanding, but should easily keep five or more years.
Ric
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12/2/2017 - Troon Likes this wine: 93 Points
04 - 07 Beringer Vertical Tasting (My House): The oldest of a 4 year Beringer vertical. It was drinking very well. There was red fruit and spice on the nose. I did like some of the old world qualities of the wine. It was #2 behind the 2007, which may not be a fair comparison. I still thought this was an excellent wine. I think it is in its prime drinking window now.
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11/30/2017 - JoeD83 wrote: 92 Points
For Mom's birthday. Very fruit forward with apple, blueberry and red fruit. Some cedar and vanilla. Low tannin with mid to high acidity.
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9/5/2017 - iamandyc wrote: 91 Points
Fine but too primary wine at this price point. Blue fruit with decent tannins and acidity which lengthened the finish. Oaky in a purely woody way. Some anise and new leather notes. Not special.
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7/4/2017 - winelover1986 Does not like this wine:
In light of others' comments, I was surprised to find the fruit overripe for my taste. Not what I would call "muted" or "understated" even for a California Cab. Perhaps I just caught the wine on a bad day (or three, since I came back to it twice), but the nose ranged from intense fruit to spirit, without the florals some have described, and the palate, while balanced somewhat by some restrained tannin and the beginnings of secondary leathery notes, tasted mostly of berries that have sat a day or more too long. For what it's worth, it was best on day 4.
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5/31/2017 - Napacablover Likes this wine: 95 Points
Well rounded mature cab. Nice floral nose and lots of flavor. Still has several years left in the bottle
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5/20/2017 - OWC wrote: 93 Points
Very nice wine. Clear beam of blackcurrant admidst expected dark fruits, even if fruits just a little muted. Rich and well integrated. Fun to drink now.
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4/23/2017 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 3 hours but pretty much ready from the start. Sweet red fruit, tobacco, cedar, and minerals. Fine tannins on the finish. Ready to go now or in 10 years.
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1/29/2017 - scotty_b wrote: 93 Points
Currant, sweet cherry, tobacco, and mocha. Silky smooth finish, perfectly balanced. Relatively simple flavor profile, but just what you expect from an aged Napa cab in a classic, understated style.
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11/20/2016 - levinml wrote: 93 Points
Good, balanced, well made easy drinking properly aged cab, so good score in order. But somehow lacking a wow that propels it to the next echelon. Drink anytime.
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8/1/2016 - floridawinedrkr Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is really good. Plenty of life left. Big bold tannins. Layers of flavors. see previous notes
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7/30/2016 - Arcturus wrote: 94 Points
94 Really enjoyed this wine, big bold majestic and refined. Dark chocolate, blackcurrant on the palate. Smooth finish.
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7/9/2016 - Paul S wrote: 93 Points
Dinner at home with Lionel and Rachel (Pine Close): A yummy, beautifully drinkable wine. After an hour or so in the decanter, this was absolutely singing. On the nose, it showed pretty notes of sweet, ripe cassis and red berries seasoned with drifts of tobacco spice, earth and wild herbs. The palate seemed on its way to being completely resolved, with soft, round tannins and bright acidity framing yummy flavours of ripe cassis and gummy berries, again with a flush of baking spices and smoky tobacco notes lingering away in a nice, juicy finish. No one would accuse this of being a Bordeaux with its sweet, sunny disposition, but it was far from being a new world bruiser - it was elegant, comfortable and absolutely delicious; a lovely wine at a beautiful place now.
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6/30/2016 - floridawinedrkr Likes this wine: 93 Points
In my opinion this needs more time. Tannins were screaming. We drank this with the 2005 and everyone picked the 2005 with no hesitation. This was thinner, and lighter in color. Not as elegant as the 2005. Much sharper with cherries, tea leaves, mint and eucalyptus. A very nice wine that would have been better if we didn't drink the 2005 first.
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5/25/2016 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 92 Points
Silky smooth. Subdued tannins with sweet cassis and cherry fruit. Mature, probably at peak.
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4/10/2016 - Janstan Likes this wine: 94 Points
Silky, needs more time perhaps 10 years, decanted for 1 hour. Dark fruits , anise, long finish
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3/6/2016 - ciesel wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful drink of wine. Balanced and integrated.
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3/5/2016 - BigBoy_Sonoma wrote: 95 Points
Black fruit, blueberries, plums, cedar, tobacco, smokey oak, supple balanced tannins, complexity, nice length on finish. A
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2/19/2016 - gew71walsh wrote: 93 Points
Subdued tannins, medium alcohol. Blackberries, black cherries and currants with some smokiness. Paired with beef tenderloin. Drank along with a Mondavi 2004-- this was choice of the guests.
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12/28/2015 - Vertigo wrote: 93 Points
Dark and ripe fruit (blackberry, cassis), chocolate and smooth tannins. The wine was very round with some heat at the end (noticable but not too obtrusive).
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12/26/2015 - WineCPA wrote: 94 Points
As of right now, this wine still needs a good decant. It opened fully the second night, revealing luscious dark fruit, smoke and graphite. The nose was closed the first night. Long finish with moderate tannins. Wish I had more, as I think this is in the early stages of its drinking window.
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12/25/2015 - BWebb wrote: 95 Points
We drank this bottle next to a 2003 Pichon and the Beringer Private reserve was far superior. The pichon did open up and calm down after about 6 hours of decanting but the Beringer was excellent from the moment the bottle was opened through the whole afternoon and evening. The tannin had settled in and was very tame - beautiful nose with some subtle red current, mocha and chocolate and a hint of vanilla on the finish. This had none of the barnyard beginning leather or tobacco of the Pichon. I believe the wine has the structure to retain its complexity for several more years and this is drinking fabulous right now - amazing.
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11/14/2015 - BinVA Likes this wine: 94 Points
Took to Europa Restaurant in Herndon. Delicious, only getting better with age. Still dark but a smidge lighter at the edges. Cedar and dark fruit on the nose. Tannins are smoothing out but still noticeable an hour after opening. Not necessarily a baby, maybe a teenage with years ahead of it.
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10/24/2015 - ProfBainbridge Likes this wine: 93 Points
I decanted it about an hour before dinner and sampled a glass throughout the cooking process. Purple shading into a deep ruby. Modest sediment. The bouquet took a while to open up, but eventually developed some seriously complex associations. Cedar, leather, cassis, and black cherry. On the palate, it was medium to full bodied with a long finish. Again, cedar, leather, cassis, and black cherry were the dominant flavor associations, as well as blackberry and mocha java. Well balanced. Still has plenty of structure to support aging, but is drinking well now. I'll probably space out the remaining bottles over the next 8-10 years.
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9/19/2015 - yonster24 wrote:
Haven't written a note in a while, but I feel compelled to with this one. Where to start?? Nose: cedar, leather, black fruit, intoxicating. Palate: Med-full bodied. still firing on all cylinders 11 years later. Silky smooth texture with a very long, well balanced finish. (Acid/tannins very much in check.) Not sure that this will necessarily IMPROVE, but it will stay at this peak level for a long time. Just brilliant.
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3/1/2015 - The Wine Guy Likes this wine: 92 Points
black cherry, currant, long finish, oak and cedar notes soft and supple tannins, drank as a vertical with 05. liked the 05 better.
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1/31/2015 - levinml wrote:
From Magnum. Drank at Sutton's for guys' annual birthday dinner accompanied by home 21 day dry aged prime grade prime rib (from Costco, of course). Followed 2001 Shafer Sunspot mag and more than held its own. Really perfect balance going with the meat, good flavors but not over the top or in conflict with the meal. I know this was relatively inexpensive so clearly a steal in the world of big boys. Wish I had bought more. Drink soon, though. Don't see this holding up so well another 10 yea
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1/31/2015 - levinml wrote: 95 Points
From Magnum. Drank at Sutton's for guys' annual birthday dinner accompanied by home 21 day dry aged prime grade prime rib (from Costco, of course). Followed 2001 Shafer Sunspot mag and more than held its own. Really perfect balance going with the meat, good flavors but not over the top or in conflict with the meal. I know this was relatively inexpensive so clearly a steal in the world of big boys. Wish I had bought more. Drink soon, though. Don't see this holding up so well another 10 years.
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1/1/2015 - Matt T Likes this wine: 93 Points
From a split. Mature, but still with plenty of life. Blackberry, chocolate, and oak. Opulent, but well-balanced.
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12/31/2014 - olofst Likes this wine: 93 Points
Top wine. Drink or keep up to at least 10 years, possibly more.
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11/3/2014 - cab blends Likes this wine: 92 Points
Originally coravin'd 9/2014. Finished tonight. This is still dark and brooding. Lead pencil in the nose and on the palate together with vanilla. More French than new Napa cab. Dry'ish yet full bodied with light, dark fruit on the nose. Finish is dark fruit too.
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11/2/2014 - Bill Bucklew wrote: 89 Points
Double decanted for three hours, tasted blind initially. Somewhat muted nose, red fruit and spice, one of the more complex noses. Medium plus body, medium acidity, this is more balanced than Some of its contemporaries. A bit flat on the mid palate, it leaves you a little flat.
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10/11/2014 - wayfarer Likes this wine: 93 Points
Brief decant. Dark inky red in glass. Nice rich deep aged dark cherry, light hints of tobacco, earth, vanilla. Well balanced with touch of acid and tannin. Opened up during course of meal, moderately long finish. Drinking very well, but looks to have more time ahead.
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10/4/2014 - andrewdl wrote: 93 Points
Awesome after an hour.
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9/21/2014 - cab blends Likes this wine: 92 Points
Relaxing on a Sunday evening with JN (On the deck): Fuller bodied little less fruit nose and body. Tannin 6.5
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7/27/2014 - michigan dogs Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great cab, drinking well now. 5 years ago I rated the wine a 90, this was obviously much better, very we'll integrated, smooth.
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7/21/2014 - la turque wrote: 93 Points
Note consistent with last bottle: A user friendly wine. Lovely fruit, showing well. Balanced acidity and tannin. Showed beautifully after two hours in the decanter. Drink now or hold for up to 10 years.
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6/20/2014 - Annie1 wrote: 93 Points
Wes & Jim to dinner
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6/7/2014 - djump Likes this wine: 93 Points
decanted two hours had with steaks. very smooth
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6/1/2014 - Matt T Likes this wine: 90 Points
From a split. Very nice. Featuring chocolate and dark berries. This still has some life in it and can likely last another decade. This bottle was not quite as well-integrated as prior bottles, but still very good.
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5/24/2014 - mtkutzman@gmail.com Likes this wine: 95 Points
wine, perfect
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1/20/2014 - jsebiri wrote:
nice red wine , fruit , sweetness , good
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1/5/2014 - isdblm@lsu.edu Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great as ever!
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12/29/2013 - pk28 wrote: 90 Points
Decanted; a bit thin and not very complex, did not hold up well w/ the steak. Disappointing as I was really looking forward to this. Maybe a bad bottle..still one more in the cellar.
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12/22/2013 - mkubow wrote: 94 Points
Enjoyed at Tango Sur with friends, this wine is in its prime and fabulous. Elegant fruit, soft tannins, and a great finish.
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12/14/2013 - Tri Wine wrote: 90 Points
Had at a wine tasting & contest party. Was really surprised at its lack of depth. Maybe a bad bottle? Was really looking forward to this one too.
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12/4/2013 - KevinS wrote: 96 Points
Absolutely singing. Rocking stuff -- outstanding Napa cab in all respects!
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11/28/2013 - firstgrowth Likes this wine: 95 Points
Thanksgiving with friends & family. Great bottle, correctly guessed it was 04 Beringer. Or Bordeaux, tasted a bit like it with its earthiness but big fruit like Napa Cab. Classic wine.
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11/23/2013 - coltrane wrote:
Drank six bottles of mostly can and this was the best of the night. Deep, complex and fruity. Will only get better with age.
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11/2/2013 - aaronwine Likes this wine: 93 Points
From 375. The wine is still very good but starting to lose its fruit compared to a couple of years ago. Complex and dense but not overly ripe - enjoyable wine. Imagine it should continue to hold in a larger format but half bottles are ready to drink.
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11/1/2013 - slywka7 wrote: 92 Points
Seymour Wine Club Meeting 11/1/13 (Home of the Slywka's): I really enjoyed this wine although I would have never guessed it was a Beringer Private Reserve. The nose had aromas a rose, cherry and earth. It actually had a little funk that blew off. This was medium to full bodied with flavors of blackberry, raspberry and sour cherry and ended with a 20 second finish.
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10/15/2013 - GalvezGuy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Popped and poured. Great classic cab nose of cassis, red currant, and sour cherry along with some cedar and a hint of herbs. On the palate, rich and silky with red currant, black cherry, blackberry, cedar, and hints of vanilla. Long finish with smooth tannic grip. Really well done, just entering its drinking window and should evolve and get better from here. Drink or hold.
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10/14/2013 - la turque wrote: 93 Points
A user friendly wine. Lovely fruit, showing well. Balanced acidity and tannin. Showed beautifully after two hours in the decanter. Drink now or hold--this will last for a long while.
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10/5/2013 - andrewdl wrote: 98 Points
Unbelievable! Really one of the best wines I've had in a while.
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7/10/2013 - KurtK Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still young. The wine is Purple colored. The legs are Slow. It smells like Blackberry, Bark, Alcohol, a bit Hot, and Chocolate. It tastes like Black currant (cassis), Blackberry, Chocolate, and Oak. The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Angular texture. The wine has a long finish.
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6/18/2013 - wallstreet Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nicely elegant from an elegant vintage. Not over the top. Plenty of life left. Perfect with a steak. If you want a fruit bomb, this is not it. I enjoyed this very much. Too bad it's my last bottle
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5/7/2013 - firstgrowth wrote: 95 Points
Awesome, great wine. Silky smooth big fruit tasty tasty.
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4/16/2013 - Cadby Likes this wine: 94 Points
2004 Beringer Cab Private Reserve ++++ $80
A leathery, current pool of old style Napa
http://8wordsonwine.blogspot.com/2013/04/2004-beringer-cab-private-reserve-80.html
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3/21/2013 - kenthargis wrote: 94 Points
absolutely delicious. Wasn't too early to drink. Rich, long finish. Would definitely recommend.
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2/25/2013 - firstgrowth wrote: 95 Points
Had at Ortt's last night for Oscar watching party. Great wine, drinkable now but will only get better over next 5+ years
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2/24/2013 - firstgrowth wrote: 95 Points
Drank at Ortt's at Oscar watching party. Wine was big hit, tastes fantastic and only will get better over the next 5+ years.
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2/3/2013 - bubbachumps wrote: 93 Points
Consistent with my prior notes. In a great drinking window. Decated 5 hours before consuming.
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12/31/2012 - Yiannis wrote: 93 Points
Still very youthful, displaying a dark ruby-purple color and a plummy nose of licorice, vanilla and mint. Oak is still evident but of high quality. Medium to full bodied with balancing acidity, velvety tannins and a long aftertaste. Could improve further with cellaring.
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7/6/2012 - Nutty08 wrote: 93 Points
This bottle was a little less complex than prior, but still a great Napa style cab. Lovely cedar and cassis nose. Palate isn't the most concentrated, but very expressive, with pure cassis driven fruit profile and fine tannins on the back end. Finishes with sweet fruit with a nice blend of cedar styled oak. Perfectly balanced. Drink or hold--still a little primary and should continue to age for some time.
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6/15/2012 - lgermain wrote: 92 Points
US Open 2012. Tiger leading with David Toms.
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5/20/2012 - RPerro wrote: 93 Points
Pop & pour. Wine had seeped through the cork, which worried me a tad, but it was a great wine. Should have decanted, as this started off rather soft, but gained structure and flavor with air. By the time it was singing, the bottle was gone. Great cassis fruit, tobacco, earth and boysenberry. Ample oak, but integrating nicely.
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5/5/2012 - lgermain wrote:
Me and tony at Louie communion
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4/28/2012 - isdblm@lsu.edu wrote: 93 Points
Lovely, and even better after two days.
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4/22/2012 - JGinMO wrote: 95 Points
My last one, which is too bad. Drank great right from decanting, with beautiful fruit and great balance. Over next hour thought the structure really grew, leading me to believe this wine still has many years of great drinking ahead.
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4/12/2012 - rickspicks wrote: 93 Points
Beringer Reserve is always a favorite of mine - and this bottle did not disappoint. Big nose of boysenberry/blackberry, cassis, earth and dust. Vanilla and oak also appear on the palate. Medium body and super-smooth and silky with excellent balance and good concentration. Long, fruity finish. A bit more fruit-forward, more lush and with less structure than I typically experience with Beringer Reserve, but as always, a terrific combination of California fruit along with some bordeaux-style elegance.
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2/24/2012 - lgermain wrote: 91 Points
Great the first time as well as the second time! Need to buy more.
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1/8/2012 - lgermain wrote: 95 Points
- Purple color with fast forming legs. It's balanced with a medium/full body. Smooth texture with a short finish - Fantastic wine! Smooth and delicious.
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1/7/2012 - pedwards wrote: 94 Points
Really nice restrained Napa cab. Extremely impressed by this. Blackberries, chocolate and cedar. Silky smooth and nice acidity and smooth tannins that balance this out. Delicious. No heat or oak to this.
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1/3/2012 - AMM3RD wrote: 92 Points
Always delicious and very well made. This really needs another 5 years to drop a little sweetness and primary fruit for my palate. Drink over the next 5-10+
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12/30/2011 - Garfield wrote: 94 Points
Brought this 1.5 L to Lawry's in Las Vegas for dinner. The four of us had no problems finishing off this beauty.
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12/16/2011 - BinVA wrote: 93 Points
Drank over two days, drinking well from magnum.
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11/20/2011 - hubas wrote: 87 Points
Very high fruit with quite a bit of tannins. Lots of blackcurrant and some vanilla
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11/19/2011 - hanasowner wrote: 90 Points
Opened a 375ml. Started to show a bit after an hour, but overall muted and not offering much.
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10/25/2011 - beezer6 wrote: 93 Points
Really supple feminine showing of rose petals, bright bing cherries laced with some vanilla and light toffee. Really yummy factor with a nice ripe mid palate and an overall quite sweet but elegant tannin structure. Really vivid and lively styling. Plush and velvety textured. Layered milky chocolate goodness throughout. Really rich but sweet tannin on the back end. Lower acidity. Drinking well now. Andrew and Brad were both 95's - this rocked. Everyone enjoyed it over the '02 Opus in fact.
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10/16/2011 - AMM3RD wrote: 93 Points
This is my type of Cabernet! Ripe without being extracted or over oaked. This wine has a wonderful balance of fruit, tannin and complexity. Drink over the next 10 years...AM
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9/26/2011 - MOCGator wrote: 94 Points
Aging beautifully. Deep with great acidity. Has at least 7-10 more years but nearing it peak.
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7/24/2011 - Nutty08 wrote: 93 Points
This was really showing well. Decanted and consumed over a few hours, but was ready to go upon opening. Nose was showing cedar, chocolate and black currants with a touch of leather. Palate was smooth and round, really coating the mouth with little perceptible tannin. Quite fruit forward, with cassis added to the blackberries and currants. Lengthy chocolate, cedar spice, and coffee finish. Delicious Napa cab in a restrained style, not super concentrated or complex, just tasty. I know this bottling has a history of aging well, but I didn't get a lot of structure this time. Drinking great now with no clear upside, though is in no danger of fading soon.
Update- on night 2 really tightened up with lots of tannins. Will probably age well over next 5-10yrs.
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7/15/2011 - jcoughlon wrote: 94 Points
Drinking great, ready to go
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7/14/2011 - Yiannis wrote: 94 Points
Dark ruby. Explosive nose with intense licorice, sweet oak, dark berries, cedar and floral nuances. Full-bodied with very rich, ripe fruit, velvety tannins and an acidic lift offfering balance, elegance (despite the power) and food-friendliness. Very long finish. Awesome, opulent and voluptuous Napa cab.
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7/14/2011 - Stefanos T. wrote: 94 Points
Medium deep ruby, not even garnet yet. Nose has a very beautiful floral lift, full of violets, creamy oak notes and fresh red and black berry fruit. Also faint notes of cedar and green peppers give away the wine as Cabernet. Nice refreshing palate full of flavour with acidity to balance extract. Wonderful fresh wine which can age but is drinking beautifully now.
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7/2/2011 - King Cab wrote: 94 Points
The nose is intense with pure red and black fruits exploding from the glass. The palate shows ripe black and red currant, black cherries, blackberries, boysenberries and more. There is a hint of cola and some real nicely welcomed minerality present. The purity is insane as is the balance. It is true to the vintage, with a slight 'fatness' that I really really like. It has some lead pencil, creme de cassis (Kirsch) and some Cherry Herring Liqueur. This is both elegant and wildly rambunctious all at the same time.. The finish is nutty long, with those fruit notes just continuing on and on. I like the combo of vintage typicity with the hallmark Beringer Reserve profile. I grabbed a bunch of these last month for a song, and glad I did.
Good Saturday to you all!
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6/30/2011 - JGinMO wrote: 94 Points
Felt this showed well next to a couple Quilcedas. Still just very balanced.
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6/2/2011 - Matt T wrote: 93 Points
From a split. Excellent bottle. Sweet and smooth with somewhat noticeable oak and a lingering finish of raspberry and vanilla. This is drinking very well right now, but seems to have the balance to last for quite a bit longer. My second experience with this wine and both bottles showed extremely well.
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5/28/2011 - mccrest wrote: 96 Points
Perfect, fruit & velvet
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5/26/2011 - Rsilvester47 wrote: 95 Points
Full bodied well balanced strong wine
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5/10/2011 - mplasker wrote: 87 Points
Big complex cab that was easy to drink. Took a few minutes for it to open. Wine was well balanced from beginning to the end. Fruit was not overpowering with a lot of depth.
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5/5/2011 - soyhead wrote: 91 Points
nose - greenish nose, hay, earth
mouth - dark cherry, bitterness (bitter chocolate?), herbality. overall an intriguing cuvee that is well balanced and mixed in style, that will frustrate the fruit bomb lover. I have a bottle of this stashed away for my daughter's 21st birthday in 2025, and am most interested to see how it will turn out.
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3/29/2011 - wallstreet wrote:
consistent to previous tasting notes. A nice wine that doesn't disappoint. It isn't at the "cult" level, but a solid effort. Doesn't show secondaries yet, probably needs another 5 years to reveal more depth and character in the wine. Decant for 2 plus hours at least.
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3/28/2011 - Topper wrote: 94 Points
I am an unabashed fan of this wine year after year. It is always excellent while never over the top. Big but gracious flavors tell you that it's Napa Cab but there is an overall sense of balance and harmony with just a little flamboyance. This will never be a 100 point wine and doesn't want to be. It is just an excellent one that never seems to disappoint.
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3/11/2011 - Porchino wrote: 90 Points
smoother than 02 pr by berringer but not nearly enough flavor compared to 02
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2/5/2011 - Presidio Wine Bunker wrote: 92 Points
I wish we could have decanted for a few hours but this was bottle number 2 brought to the restaurant so we couldn't decant until we finished bottle # 1 (Justin Justification). It probably sat open in the bottle for an hour then spent maybe 30 min in the decanter before consuming with a main course of hanger steak and confit potatoes. You can tell the wine is young and coming into its own but it was still excellent. If you've got this one in the cellar I'd say you can sit on it 5-10 years and it will probably develop into a 94+ wine. If you decant now i'd say it's still a fantastic wine in the 91-93 range.
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2/4/2011 - tbabes wrote: 93 Points
Another fantastic showing, with notes of black cherry, chocolate, and a hint of vanilla. Medium-bodied, rich, lush and flavorful; long and nicely focused finish. Nicole positively adored it!
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1/16/2011 - tbabes wrote: 94 Points
Popped and poured with dinner. A lovely purple-ruby color, with no signs of age. A noble boquet, offering up scents of cassis, black currant, lilly and a hint of vanilla. Medium-bodied, with great concentration of fruit, a round texture, and long and hedonistic finish. Nicole positively adored this wine.
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1/3/2011 - EMichels wrote: 92 Points
Nice structure; Soft; Could use more depth
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12/25/2010 - FieldingYost wrote: 94 Points
Blackfruits, a floral note, cigar box on the nose; could pass for a paulliac. This is regal and polished, with firm tannin and a cashmere mouthfeel. Layers of black and blue currant, plum, blackberry, with wood framing the finish, which is long and complex. This is youthfully acidic yet, and is sure to develop further nuance as well.
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12/19/2010 - iamandyc wrote:
No score as this never truly opened up.
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12/10/2010 - Bakeman wrote: 90 Points
Second magnum of the night at the team Christmas dinner. This was served with lamp chops after a Caymus 2005. This is a great bottle, but did not stand up to the Caymus. Drinking well, very rounded, but not a big in your face wine, much more subtle.
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11/6/2010 - elbosco wrote: 93 Points
Jumped the gun on this one. Tightly structured nose and palate that never fully opened up. Underlying quality clearly evident and deserving of another four years in the sack to reach its potential.
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10/25/2010 - wallstreet wrote:
decanted two hours and followed a Kobalt 2003, which was much better. I like this wine and it will age gracefully for another 15 years probably.
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8/6/2010 - drycab wrote:
Drank with Weber grilled Porterhouses, rice and broccoli, popped, decanted and poured w/o waiting. Opened nicely over the next 2 hours and was as usual a great bottle of wine. Blue black fruits, casis and just enough wood to balance it all. The things that suffered most by being drunk as a pop and pour were the nose and finish was a little truncated.
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7/31/2010 - Rosdail wrote: 94 Points
Solid trademark private reserve - VGS (Very Good "Stuff" - or other "S") So far it is making the trip. I would guess good for a few more years, but no need to wait as it is very good right now.
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7/11/2010 - calicabnut wrote: 91 Points
Had my first bottle of this in Oct'07 (admittedly way too young but couldn't resist) and it took 3 to 4 hours to even begin to open up and made a note to wait 2 years. Had a bottle this week 2 1/2 years later and it still took 3 to 4 hours to begin to open up but it continued to open for another couple of hours and not sure it got to where it was going even then. Once it began to open it showed excellent dark fruits, nice oak overtones and a decent albeit brief finish. It was still a bit tannic but not overly dry or bitter. My guess is another couple of years may improve it so will wait until 2012 to try the next one. QPR is very low at this point. Hopefully it will recover with time.
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7/8/2010 - matherjo wrote: 94 Points
Not much change in 6 mos but with some air, garnet is showing on the rim after about 30 minutes. More Chocolate notes coming out.
Appearance: Deep ruby, medium plus color intensity, clean and bright
Nose: Black Currant, plum green pepper, spice, chocolate, mint and herbal notes
Palate: Lush mouth feel with confiture, cassis, chocolate and herbal notes. Fruit driven, balanced med acidity, fine tannins
This is a solid performer that will age well and has not yet reached its peak.
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5/9/2010 - LARich wrote: 93 Points
Lush body and delicious classic CA cab. Needs a little more time but it's going to keep developing nicely.
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5/4/2010 - schwartzman wrote: 94 Points
Excellent Cab - complex and smooth, nice berry flavors. Agree with the 94/95 point reviews below, except not sure it will get too much better - feels like it is drinking pretty close to peak..
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4/20/2010 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Complex, concentrated and delicious with dark fruit flavors this Cab exceeded all expectations. Excellent blend of structured tannins and fruit...wish I had many more bottles of this. The finish last for 20+ seconds...yum!
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4/8/2010 - paideia109 wrote: 95 Points
5 stars
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4/3/2010 - sjk7 wrote: 93 Points
Excellent
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3/22/2010 - drycab wrote:
Last bottle of 14 among 11 people. No Formal notes.
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3/4/2010 - kenv Likes this wine: 96 Points
WCC 2004 California Cab Blind Tasting (Provence Restaurant, Albany, NY): Ripe red fruit nose. Long and delicious with terrific tannic structure (unlike any other wine so far tonight) and great length. Riveting length. My #3 WOTN (very close to #2).
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2/5/2010 - wallstreet wrote:
This wine was aerating for approximately 3 hours before I tasted it. It was the last wine of the evening and followed numerous bottles of Burgundy and a wonderful bottle of Bordeaux. The wine was heavier, contrasting greatly to the burgs we had. I always enjoy this wine and this evening was no different. The air time really helped this wine smooth out and develop alot of weight on the palate. A solid effort and very enjoyable.
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2/5/2010 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
Decanted for 3 hours. The last bottle of the dinner. Something was amiss to me, probably the palate fatigue kicked in. I say that because 12 hours after the opening the empty bottle smells like a million bucks!
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12/26/2009 - wallstreet wrote:
a bit too much oak, wine needs more aging, but after 2 1/2 hours decanting the wine's finesse became apparent. If you like em young, this won't disappoint.
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12/9/2009 - matherjo wrote: 94 Points
Appearance: Deep ruby, medium plus color intensity, clean and bright
Nose: Black Currant, plum green pepper, spice, chocolate, mint and herbal notes
Palate: Lush mouth feel with confiture, cassis, chocolate and herbal notes. Fruit driven, balanced med acidity, fine tannins
This is a solid performer that will age well and has not yet reached its peak.
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12/4/2009 - KC Lawyer wrote: 92 Points
First wintry nite; with braised beef short ribs, salt packed roast potatoes; quite harsh in nose and taste upon opening; tannins quite obvious and fruit almost completely masked. Allowed to breath 45 minutes;
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9/14/2009 - cpowell wrote: 93 Points
Consistent with my initial review, except for modest improvement in depth and finish. Took to Smith and Wollensky's in Las Vegas...fantastic paring with prime beef.
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8/28/2009 - moben wrote: 91 Points
Better after decanting for a few hours. Smooth, well-inegrated tannins with long finish. Hints of currant and tobacco
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8/23/2009 - cstir wrote: 91 Points
Good balance, complexity and fruit but slow to open which limited its finish; did not decant and drank within 1.5 hours of opening.
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8/16/2009 - bubbachumps wrote: 94 Points
Consistent with prior notes. I like that this wine isn't so extracted, but still show its cali heritage.
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8/14/2009 - ajaffee wrote: 95 Points
Clean plum jam on the nose and in the mouith, with some oakey vanilla. Enough mild tanins and fruit to age manny more years. Some acidity on the finish to likely go well with food, although we haven't waited for dinner to finish cooking because this drinks beautifully by itself. This may be the best Cali cab I've had this year.
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5/24/2009 - wallstreet wrote: 91 Points
Nice Opulent Character. Fruity and full bodied. I probably should wait a few years before drinking more, but it tastes very good and a good deal for the price. Should improve over time.
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5/22/2009 - michigan dogs wrote: 90 Points
had with several other cabs for a celebration of the birth of Molly, my daughters first child. Of all the cabs we had this was the lowest rated, even though it has an incredible nose. Wasn't as big and bold or as flavorful as the others, smooth. The other cabs were an 01 Plumpjack Reserve-94pts. an 06 Pina 92pts, 04 John Anthony 92pts, 04 Hidden ridge 91pts, Cliff lede 92pts, 03 Darioush 92pts
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5/21/2009 - rossnross wrote:
Excellent wine
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4/13/2009 - wallstreet wrote: 90 Points
After about an hour of decanting wine started showing rather well. Not very complex in my opinion, seems high in alcohol content. Nice purple hue. Decent fruit on the palate, pretty decent finish, decent value for the money (about $72 at the time of this review). Still could use bottle time. I have alot and wanted to try it again to compare notes. Same score, didn't check the score before I wrote this review. Consistent tasting notes.
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4/5/2009 - VCvino wrote: 94 Points
This wine is full of complex flavor and tannins are begining to integrate well. Huge wine.
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3/24/2009 - biggie wrote: 89 Points
Clear garnet core of moderate intensity out to a pale red edge and thin watery rim - youthful. Clean nose of moderate plus intensity showing dark plum, cassis, chocolate, mint and herbal notes. Moderate tannin, acid, alcohol and body - extremely well balanced for this early in it's development. Dry with moderately intense flavours of light plum and dried black cherry. Moderately long finish. This is very well made with no holes in it - very smooth with almost no astringency. Not in the least developed yet but I'm not convinced this will continue to develop well. I'd drink over the next 5 years or so (unless it decides to shut down) because it's so friendly right now.
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3/20/2009 - jbearr wrote: 94 Points
Quite excellent now and potential for a great future of deliciousness.
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1/4/2009 - wabi47 wrote: 94 Points
potent broad base of dark cherry and plum with full mid palate, approachable tannins and adeq acidity; lush for a younger cab and with plenty of potential for aging;
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12/27/2008 - OregonWineGeeks wrote: 94 Points
The 2002 vintage of this wine is one of my all time favorites, this 2004 is also quite good. The color is a bright scarlet, it looks well aged and full bodied. The nose is quite open with blackberry, chocolate, oak, leather and a slight tobacco odor. The taste is what I've come to expect of good vintage of this reserve cabernet blend. The tart full fruit strikes the palette first with a wave of sweetness and complexity. The middle has an acidic structure as the fruit fades away to a long tannin finish. This wine will get even better as the tannins mellow over the next few years but may never be as good as the 2002. 94
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12/26/2008 - AZ Cat wrote:
(2) Drank at Dad’s with Mom, Mike & Elizabeth. Very fruit-forward at first but didn’t have much after that. Not bad but nothing special. Maybe needed more time or more decanting (only decanted a few minutes). Poor QPR.
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12/13/2008 - JR_Boston wrote: 91 Points
Excellent blackberry and cherry. Velvety, nice long finish. Needed a little while to open up - second glass was better than the first
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12/11/2008 - wallstreet wrote: 90 Points
Nice fruit. Typical of many good 04's. I would advise keeping this cellared for a couple of years at least. The wine was very tannic as compared to the Groth 97 Reserve we had the same night, which is to be expected. But also shows that the Beringers has alot of future potential.
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12/5/2008 - The Wine Guy wrote: 93 Points
Had a verticle of the 01,02,03,04 this was one of the favorites. All were excellent. The wines were opened for four hours after which the tasting began. Rich jammy fruit, full grip on the tanin which says this one will better with extensive time. Full finish with notes of cedar oak, pencil,
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12/2/2008 - lagniappe wrote: 91 Points
Opened and had with Thanksgiving dinner. Wonderfully complex and full of flavor.
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11/15/2008 - jhannah27 wrote: 90 Points
Received this as a gift. Popped and poured. This was pretty tight at first, but that wasn't surprising. Dark black and blueberries, currant, vanilla and spice on the nose. Taste followed the nose, with some pretty hefty tannins coming through on the finish. After some time being open, the wine softened to show more dark chocolate and forest floor. Really well made wine, and I really enjoyed it. While it drinks well now, I think it will be much more enjoyable with another 5+ more years of bottle age. I say 90-91 for now, but easily 93+ in the future.
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11/3/2008 - hcampana wrote: 93 Points
Retailer wine tasting (Lots of TNs incl. 05 Torre Muga, 05 Guado al Tasso, 06 Achaval Mirador, 05 Pintia, etc.) (Monterrey, Mexico): Spicy currant in the nose. Concentrated, medium to full bodied. A lot of flavor and an attractive dash of acidity that makes the finish juicy.
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9/28/2008 - bubbachumps wrote: 93 Points
Notes consistent with prior bottle except that this wines mid palate seemed to hollow out some with extended aeration. On pop and pour it was terrific.
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9/8/2008 - petitblanc wrote: 89 Points
Deep ruby-purple color. Initially very closed, eventually showing mineral, wood, roasted coffee notes, and plentiful fruit (currants and grapes). Lots of acidity and mild but bitter tannins. This is nowhere near ready now, but may improve with a few years age. Somewhat interesting potential here, but lacking in richness, nothing special. Disappointing in this price range.
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9/8/2008 - DenisLee wrote:
Very nice wine. Excellent nose. I thoroughly enjoyed this bottle. If you're drinking with non oenophiles give them the Founders Reserve. They won't notice the difference at one tenth the price. (see my Founders Reserve note).
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8/29/2008 - Phin wrote: 94 Points
Red fruit and plum with a full bodied mouth. Rich tannins.
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8/18/2008 - InternationalWineReport wrote: 97 Points
Dark rich color. The mushrooms, green pepers, smoke and earth mix perfect with the dark fruits. The balance of this wine is one of the best i have ever seen. The finish is ultra-long and chewy.
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8/2/2008 - BordeauxNut wrote: 94 Points
Saturday Club - August 2, 2008 (Elliot's house): Lots of adjectives here -- huge, ripe, jammy, dense, coconut, pure, tasty, balanced, and long... what more can you ask for? This is really wonderful California Cabernet. Much, much better than last week's 2005 Switchback Ridge -- and, I suspect it will improve with age. If more people were making wines like this one at this price level, I might start buying them again. Reminds me of the 1992 on release. Really terrific stuff with some upside.
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6/28/2008 - cpowell wrote: 92 Points
Superior deep red. Modest nose of chocolate. Wonderful silky feel in the mouth. My first of 9 bottles. I'll wait a while for the others.
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5/30/2008 - Scooter wrote: 93 Points
Had this in a group setting for dinner. This is ready to drink now with a chocolate-like taste to it with cherry undertone. No tanins to speak of and was better than the K Kennedy we had alongside it. Would definitely get more if I can find it.
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5/18/2008 - apes wrote: 90 Points
Decanted 3 hours. I think that was too long. The chocolate and vanilla was very present. Enjoyable, but I think I missed out on some of the fruit. I recall drinking this wine at another time without decanting and enjoyed drinking it over a few hours to taste the changes. Next bottle pop pour and enjoy.
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5/9/2008 - bubbachumps wrote: 95 Points
After pop and pour, nose of sweet vanilla, red fruits, tobacco and a touch of licorice. On the palate, fine dusty tannins. Tastes like a Napa cab should. In the mouth, a little tight with flavors of sweet black cherry, touch of red rasberry. Scored a 93 after pop and pour.
After an hour and a half in the decanter, the wine has gained mass and in addition to the notes above above, I sense some chocalate in the nose and the palate. The air has really rounded out the wine. This wine is a bargain at $80 and it may have benefitted a point from this and the juicy ribeye I had with it. Perfect meal. Glad I have another bottle.
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5/3/2008 - WineForRob wrote: 94 Points
Wine Spectator Grand Tour (Las Vegas): Have to admit I perfer Napa to Bordeaux. I know start throwing things at me but there it is. Wonderful cherry and plum aromas with a full bodied creamy mouth feel. Chocolate and more red fruits on the delicious finish. Yum.
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4/21/2008 - Apollo5710 wrote: 92 Points
Compared to the '03 which I tasted roughly one year ago, the '04 is less restrained and larger scaled. Very lush, rich, and massive in the mouth, there is a lot of fruit and substance here, as well as tannic grip. The nose features muted aromas of red fruits (cherry, blackberry, etc.), and hints of mocha and leather. Today it's all about stature and structure, very voluptuous and impressive. It should be a real special experience in about 10 years! 92-95.
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4/15/2008 - Bill in Chicago wrote: 93 Points
Served with a ’54 Ygay, 84 Beringer’s PR, ’94 Beringer’s PR and ’04 Beringers
Deep garnet red. Filled with layers and complexity. The fruit flavors are lined with earth and leathery tones. Nice balanced tannins and lasting finish. Outstanding. 93
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4/5/2008 - ScottGoodwin wrote:
HWM Blind CA Cab Sauv Testing - The nose was a little closed but nice and subtle. Very focused and flawless. A nice chalkiness. Great finish. Longest of the tasting. Ranked #2 in tasting.
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3/27/2008 - Nutty08 wrote: 93 Points
Pebble Beach Food and Wine; 3/27/2008-3/30/2008 (Pebble Beach Resort, CA): Sweet nose of tobacco, cassiss, hints of cherry and floral notes. Palate is very smooth with velvety tannins, but still well structured. Long finish. Excellent Napa style cab and should improve over next few years.
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2/19/2008 - FunkyMonk wrote: 90 Points
I don't experience many wines I would consider "closed," but boy I was expecting a lot more here. I could detect hints of licorice and cassis and dark fruits on the nose, but it was very shy. The taste was better (and enjoyable) with a nice solid structure but I had the 2001 at about the same point in time and was absolutely blown away. Not the case here. Would love to try it again in a few years, but that would mean someone would have to bring over another bottle.
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2/16/2008 - Garfield wrote: 94 Points
Drank at a wine tasting along with an 03' Betz Cabernet and an 03' Showket. The Berringer was decanted for 3 hours and served at room temp. This wine is worth the price. Deep dark fruit and smooth tannins that frame a complete wine. Finish lingers for more than a minute. I must point out that the Showket and the Betz both showed well and had much harsher tannins.
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2/5/2008 - rickspicks wrote: 95 Points
I have enjoyed many vintages of Beringer Reserve Cab and this is very typical of previous vintages. It is an elegant wine - somewhat more like a super-second bordeaux than a top-notch California cab. What always strikes me is the velvety mouth-feel and combination of red and dark berry flavors -- usually with a hint of vanilla. It needs more time in the bottle as it remains tightly wound as of 1/08.
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2/4/2008 - sumshark wrote: 93 Points
Very nice wine, good nose and palate (complexity), in balance with a moderate finish.
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1/14/2008 - winegr wrote: 93 Points
Much better than the 2003. Great balance and depth. Very good complexity. needs some time, but has the power, depth and complexity. Very good wine. 93-94 points. Not much to dislike about this one.
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1/4/2008 - beezer6 wrote: 94 Points
What a spectacular wine.
The aromas were jumping from the glass the moment it was opened in the restaurant bar.
We let it breathe for an hour or two and then, when in the room, enjoyed our first sips.
It was awesome. Huge notes of deep blackberries, and raspberries. Oak and casis dominate the palate, yet allow way for secondary aromas of rose petals cigar box and leather.
Huge finish exceeding 30 seconds. Balanced and totally mouth coating. I can't wait to see what this
tastes like in five or so years. Still a youngster for sure.
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12/1/2007 - bryon m wrote: 93 Points
Rich, dense and chewy, with ripe plum, blackberry, fresh earth and mineral flavors, framed by smoky, cedary oak. Intense and persistent, ending with a mix of cherry and currant fruit. The tannins are firm but ripe. Needs time. Best from 2009 through 2018. 8,200 cases made. 'JL
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10/30/2007 - Winetree wrote: 94 Points
It is a fruit-forward, softer, more flamboyant, already seductive effort displaying gorgeous notes of chocolaty creme de casis, some spicy, high quality, toasty oak, a rich, plush, savory, expansive mid-palate, and a long heady finish...This wine is delicious yet promises to age gorgeously for 15-20 years
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10/21/2007 - Jack wrote: 90 Points
Taste of the Vine 10/21 (Kierland): Sweet fruit with a good backbone of nice ripe tannin. No where near the 2002 at this stage.
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