Beringer, Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

It was ok. Nothing memorable or special. Not bad at all, just not spectacular.

2012 vintage

Not turned

1996 vintage

Opened a bottle a few hours before a scheduled dinner. Wine was bricked and lifeless, seemed oxidized. Poured it into a decanter in a Hail Mary move to see if it could improve, but it never did. (I hope our septic tank enjoyed it.) After tasting the first bottle, I opened another of the same vintage, and immediately knew that it was good. I left it open in the bottle for about 3 hours before serving, and it was very …

2012 vintage

Immediate explosive nose of blackcurrant after 30m in the decanter. First mouthful is stewed prune and armagnac but the prunes blew off after a couple of glasses and formed a lovely backbone of sweet classic Beringer fruit. Some Christmas pudding in there as well which was appropriate for the time of year. Overall a delightful bottle still drinking beautifully after almost 50 years

1978 vintage

Served to accompany Christmas dinner of prime rib au jus, this wine is fully mature and integrated, with deep purple color, medium body, strong legs, and a velvet look in the glass. Enticing aroma of spices and forest fruits, as well as sophisticated leathers. After an hour decanting, the palate emerges in waves of dark currants and premier terroir. The finish offers elegant tannins and evolving tertiary notes. This prozeworth wine will continue to grow for years to come.

2014 vintage

Slow ox for one hour initially then for another 45 minutes while we drank a 2008 Dalla Valle. My son thought it needed a full decant but I didn’t. The extra 45 minutes along with air once poured softened it up perfectly. Classic Old School Napa like the Dalla Valle but more one dimensional. It just has come to me that I’m just not a fan of the 12 vintage for CA Cabs. The 14 of this wine is far …

2012 vintage

Nice easy drinking cab. Typical California style, very fruity, sweet finish, but not overly so. Would buy again.

2012 vintage

Beautiful bottle, bought at auction storage must have been impeccable. Chocolate, blueberry, dark cherry, black raspberry, cigar. Full mouth, medium acid. Nose is incredible. Just in a great place.

1991 vintage

Slow Ox 75 minutes. Nose is bizarre, funky, becoming sherry. Taste is better but not up to this wines standards. I have 3 more hoping this was just one off. It wasn’t amazing by any stretch. Wife rated it 88. Taste was better than nose but not amazing.

2012 vintage

Overwhelming cigar box and forest floor on opening. Decanted off sediment for 30 minutes. Blueberry jam, dried cherry, tobacco leaf and cedar. On the descent, but still some life left.

1991 vintage

This was drinking well and had mostly everything you want in an old cab but it felt like it didn't reach the level of some of the other wines at the table (all Napa) but still very enjoyable.

1991 vintage

Needed a bit more time. Maybe 1-2 years. Also did not decant

2014 vintage

Just beautiful, smooth and supple. Only a very small amount of sediment upon decanting. Plenty of life left.

2012 vintage

Color is still a nice dark purple. The nose was somewhat fragrant, showcasing tobacco, pine forest, olive tapenade, and faint baking spices. In the mouth, black cherry and plum fruit is understated with cedar, tobacco, and a little green streak more pronounced. Silky mouthfeel as tannin is fully integrated, finish shows a bit of drying astringency. Good, but this is not a great vintage of PR in my opinion. Drink now, this is my 5th bottle and it is not …

2006 vintage

Decanted two hours; moderate sediment; deep ruby-purple color. Aromas of blackberries, olives and cedar. Beautifully rich, powerful and complex dark fruit on the well-structured palate. It has a great moth feel, followed up by a sweet, lingering finish. A gorgeous wine with years of good life ahead.

2012 vintage

OK. I take that previous review back. I bottled up the last half of the mag, left it in my cellar for 11 days, it is fit to drink. Go figure.

1991 vintage

Out of magnum, headed down hill, I had hoped for much more. If you have one I’d drink it today

1991 vintage

This bottle was excellent. Give it about an hour of air and it opens up. Fruit is still up front. Tannins well integrated. Full bodied. Nice finish.

2014 vintage

Pop and poured with spicy Mexican food south of nicks in laguna. Very well balanced with a chewy back of the palate mouthfeel with a 30 sec+ finish. This is a great wine in its prime and will continue to age for another few year if you like younger wines with some backbone.

2012 vintage

Still good, however, there is a Brett element to this wine since its youth. Decant and rest for 10 minutes. Drink immediately afterwards to retain the fruit.

2006 vintage

Big aromas on opening of dark fruit. Decanted for three hours and poured first glasses about 20 minutes before drinking. Nose continued to beguile. Lots of cassis on the palate with some secondary notes of forest. Full bodied and bold with a nice lingering tannic bite at the finish. It’s a big wine with 15% abv but not at all hot or heavy. Great pairing with grilled NY Strips. Happy to have a few more as these will likely continue …

2014 vintage

Decanted two hours then poured back in the bottle. Dark black color. Excellent extraction and loaded with flavor. Lots of tannin still to carry it many more years. Drinking beautifully right now. Barely beaten by a 2003 Leoville Poyferre. Cassis, earth, forest floor & chocolate. Classic Old School Napa Cab. Long lingering finish. Maybe scored this too low. I’m more of a Bordeaux guy now but this could bring me back to CA Cabs if prices were lower. Excellent

2014 vintage

Drinkable but not good. Maybe an off bottle. Got two more left so will see.

2006 vintage

No decant, wine immeadetely was generously open when cork was out. Dark color. Dark fruit, black current, chocolate, tobacco. Medium and silky finish but not as charming as I expirienced in other vintages. This one -although clearly a californian- was a bit Bordeaux-ish in the finish. Drink up.

1996 vintage

A beautiful but bold wine. The nose is huge, you smell it as soon as you open the bottle and its beautiful. Tasting shows very dark fruit,blackberry,black currant with a hint of tobacco at the end. Still has 10 years left but very enjoyable now.

2014 vintage

I've had about half a case of this now and this one is just not good. Sad. Not corked.

2014 vintage

Really disappointing. Undrinkable on day 1 and day 2. There was concentrated fruit but it was smothered with bitter medicinal smell and flavor that was flat out offensive. It was clearly not corked - no wet, swampy, dog. On day 3 and 4 the bitter-pill taste started to fade but so did the fruit. By day 5 it was drinkable but not the most enjoyable wine. Will find out what day 6 brings tonight. Wine was bought directly from Treasury …

2014 vintage

Drinking really well now, especially after around 2 hours in the decanter. Luscious flavors of blackberry pie, plum, cedar and chocolate. High alcohol (15%) but the wine carries it very well. My only nits are a bit of heat from the alcohol and some oak spice on the finish. Oak and alcohol are not dealbreakers for me when well managed but if they are for you, you might like this less than I did. I would add that this wine …

2014 vintage

All the advantages of some age - soft and sensual, with edges rounded and smoothed. Yet still flavorfull mature fruit flavors. Really nice with our pan-seared top sirloin.

2012 vintage

Day 1: A tad tight. Bold.

2006 vintage

Mature black cherry fruit is mostly dominated by pencil lead, tobacco, graphite, and light oak. Tannin is mostly integrated, super smooth. Seems a bit tired, lacking vibrancy. Not a PR for the super long haul. Drink now-2026.

2006 vintage

Napa Daytrip, Mar 2025 (Napa) : Tasted at the winery, part of the Collectors' Experience tasting. Wine was poured from a Coravin, not decanted ahead of time. This had some short barnyard funk on the nose, but thankfully, no brett on the palate. Notes of blueberry, dried carnberry, and sour plum. I wonder if this is on the decline or it's just a function of bottle variation. 90 points.

2006 vintage

Corked! I've not had great experiences with the 2012's, 13's are much better. This is my last Beringer 2012, I will not seek more.

2012 vintage

Decanted for an hour and a half before drinking. Primary notes of blackberry and black currant. Tertiary floral and tobacco notes with long finish. Overall, really enjoyed this wine and would buy again. Ready to drink now but can go for many more years.

2014 vintage

Last of a half dozen, and with this being the 5th TN, I’ll keep it fairly short. Generally consistent with the bottle 4-5 months ago, but this was open, settled and singing off the pour. Notable balance, and unlike the experience of some other recent CTers, I found the tannins and acidity that were there to be totally integrated, so much so that this was probably better on its own than with spinach noodles in truffle oil one night, stuffed …

2012 vintage

Tasted blind next to the 1996 Grand Puy Lacoste. At first, it felt a bit ripe with a hint of funk and tertiary notes. But it just kept improving with air, balancing out.

1991 vintage

Bordeaux style cab. Lots of black current and some tar. Tannins still strongly

2012 vintage

At 29 years old - not bad Decanted for over an hour prior to drinking. Color was good with a slight tinge of brown at the edge. The body was medium weight, the clarity was very good (I used a strainer). Not a lot going on at the beginning, middle to end had some berry flavors , the finish was thin. Nothing wrong with this but not dynamic. Everyone that had it enjoyed it.

1996 vintage

Dusty dry tannins, subdued fruit. Not overly complex or smooth, good but not great, the 2013 is better.

2012 vintage

beautiful, full bodied, great fruit, lots of life left. a wonderfully constructed wine

2014 vintage

This is why wine is a continuing adventure. Opened 4 bottles for a big Christmas Eve dinner, all about 3 hours before serving time. Upon opening, two of the bottles were almost completely shut down and needed decanting. One of the bottles was ready to drink at first pour, and tasted delicious. The fourth bottle was brown, oxidized and undrinkable. I have had all four bottles in the same cellar and they were bought at the same time, same location. …

2012 vintage

A beautiful full bodied wine! Nose of mint and chocolate and with dark fruit and a sweet herbal essence. Flavors followed with cassis enticing you with a following of sweet dark plum and blackberry and chocolate. The tannins were firm leaving a beautiful long finish. Best of Beringer!

2012 vintage

Tasted Blind on Thanksgiving 2024 — McLean, Virginia •Nose: Dark cherry, cedar, dark chocolate, eucalyptus — lifted, fresh, and aromatic. • Palate: Silky tannins, excellent balance, long finish with lingering notes of cherry and chocolate. • Drinking beautifully now, with the magnum format clearly preserving its freshness. 1991: This wine also represented the year my brother and sister-in-law were married and hosted this wonderful Thanksgiving family get together. This bottle proves that sometimes, the “underdog” can leave the biggest impression. …

1991 vintage

Black Purple color. Nose is intense full of blackcurrant, sweet integrated oak, chocolate, tobacco liquor, bay leaf and spices. Palate is rich and full bodied & elegantly concentrated (2 hrs of decant opens it up) notes of sweet oak (in background) chocolate, tobacco, blackberry dark fruit elegant blackcurrants graphite cedar “Chocolate wrapped sweet betel leaf”. Sweet dry leather, ripe black cherry, chocolate pudding custard. Finish is pure and long along with dark black fruit chocolate Cedar tobacco sweet spices. This …

2014 vintage

Decanted an hour and tasted after 30 minutes. Tannins are much softer now but felt another 30 minutes in the decanter was best. I ended up just leaving it in the decanter throughs dinner. Dark black color. Black fruits dominate. Full mouthfeel with amazing extraction. This is ringing beautifully right now and will continue to drink well for many years. Chocolate, vanilla, cassis, tobacco & encil lead. Quite opulent. I love the Old School Classic Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and this …

2014 vintage

Very classy Cali Cab. Nearly opaque, no real sign of age. Fruit forward (mostly dark), licorice, tar. Tannins have softened. Everything well integrated and a long finish. Superb

2014 vintage

Drink these now if you have them. They’re starting to drop off.

1991 vintage

In a great place at 10 years old. Dark fruits, minerals and some faint oak on the nose. Integrated and very balanced on the palate. I am never disappointed when having one of these with age on it. A master class on consistency in wine making.

2014 vintage

Fifth bottle of a half case bought on release from Beringer’s corporate parent on release, and this is *finally* drinking like the $100+ wine I bought almost a decade ago, with the blue-black fruits showing great vibrancy along with strong and balanced structure and wonderful secondary notes of coffee, tobacco, Rutherford dust and anise, among other things. Equally great on its own and wonderful with burgers, almost ready to go off the pour, hitting its apogee after 30-45 minutes then …

2012 vintage

An excellent bottle of Private Reserve. Cedar, a hint of oak, crème de cassis, and black fruit on the palate. Loved it and it was gone quickly when paired with a Bone in Filet. In a great drinking window and followed it for two and half hours over dinner. A little sediment so ensure you have a Venturi or strainer but it was an excellent wine and a reminder of why I enjoy Beringer PRV.

2012 vintage

Are you sure?

Beringer, Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

Vintages

No vintages

Community Reviews