Description

Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

93 pts – James Suckling

“A full-bodied red with redcurrants, rust and black chocolate aromas and flavors. Savory. Granular soft tannins. Very drinkable. Give it a year or two to make it even better.” – James Suckling, February 2023

Vineyard

Vintage

The 2020 vintage was a combination of a warm, dry winter, late March rains, and incidental circumstance beyond the typical season. The mild spring weather provided a great early start which was later tempered by the warmth of the summer growing season and the frequent heat spikes. 2020 with its low rainfall, low yields and dynamic weather had set the stage for fruit with pronounced micro-climatic and aromatic complexity. While vineyard and winery working conditions were adapted at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic with extensive safety protocols, further challenges were manifested by wildfires across California that would prove an even greater challenge to the latter half of the vintage. All estate fruit was continuously evaluated and only those sites unaffected were harvested. Knight’s Valley because of its location was a particularly good example of this. The limited supply of the resulting wines shows all the phenolic ripeness, acidic tension, and exceptional nuance of this challenging vintage. The fruit for this wine was picked from September 25th through October 7th, 2020.

Winemaking

To maintain the unique characteristics of the different lots from varying areas of the vineyard, each is monitored carefully through the vinification and aging process. Extended maceration created larger tannins to enhance the lush mouthfeel of the blend and extracted a maximum of color, aromas, and flavors. The wines were then aged in French oak barrels (33% new) for 15 months and underwent malolactic fermentation for further development of texture and mouthfeel.

Tasting Notes

Always an appealing Cabernet Sauvignon, this deep plum colored vintage showcases a gorgeous Bordeaux-varietal blend, with sandy, fine-grained tannins, and a velvety-rich, plush mouthfeel. Built to age and develop further complexity overtime, while in its youth, the wine is ripe and juicy with aromas and flavors of vibrant boysenberry, strawberry preserves, and cassis, alongside earthier notes of crushed stone, flecks of iron, Bay Laurel, and cedar. The baking spiced elements from the well-integrated oak work well with the more traditional Knights Valley tones of wild lavender and bittersweet chocolate. Poised and lively with a structured, juicy, mouthwatering acidity, finishing with an elegant, long, savory, mouth-pleasing finish.