Wine Enthusiast

This wine is still young and precocious, but don’t judge it too quickly. Let it air in your glass, and watch how it changes. One minute it’s all cherries and smoke; the next it heaves up a great draught of currants, cocoa and cedar. It’s a big wine but deceptive; the tannins are airy and lilting, there’s charm and underneath, enormous complexity. It’s best left alone for a few more years, but it’s really very lovely now.

(02/2001)

Vinous

(13.7% alcohol; 8% Chabot, 9% St. Helena, 27% Bancroft, 52% Tre Colline and 4% Cabernet Franc): Good full, deep red. Aromas of redcurrant, dried flowers, truffle and camphor. In this dry, warm year featuring an early harvest, Beringer used almost all mountain fruit to make its Private Reserve. Still a bit clenched in the mouth owing to slightly spiky acidity on entry, but the middle palate reveals strong mineral and brambly berry flavors. Just a tad tart on the back end. Will this wine eventually absorb its acidity and soften in bottle? I'm not sure. 90+ (ST)

(07/2015)

Wine Spectator

Complex aromas of dried currant, anise, herb and tar are rich and elegant on the palate, with the tannins softening. Has excellent structure. The best of two bottles. (Web Only—2007)