**Wine Name:** 2016 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
**Varietal:** Cabernet Sauvignon
**Vintage:** 2016
**Country:** USA
**Region:** California
**Sub-region:** North Coast
**Appellation:** Napa
**Producer:** Beringer
**Color:** Red
**Type:** Red
**Closure:** Cork
**Alcohol Percent:** 15.5%
The 2016 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a notable offering from the acclaimed Napa Valley region. This wine, a blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, was aged for 20 months in 83% new French oak, resulting in a deeply colored, garnet-purple wine with substantial depth and complexity.
James Suckling awarded this wine an impressive score of 99 points, describing it as "breathtaking" with an "exceptional integration of super ripe blackberries and the very finest oak. The tannins build up beautifully, forming wave upon wave as the wine flows across the palate." He suggests giving it a few more years to soften, but acknowledges its remarkable quality even now (jamessuckling.com, 3/2/2020).
Jeb Dunnuck was equally enthusiastic, giving it 97+ points and noting its "pure, classic, and elegant" character. He highlights the wine's "crème de cassis, graphite, lead pencil shavings, and freshly crushed rocks" notes, describing it as a "medium to full-bodied, seamless Cabernet that has remarkable purity of fruit and impeccable balance" (jebdunnuck.com, 1/31/2019).
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate also praised the wine, awarding it 95 points. The tasting notes mention "crème de cassis, kirsch, blackberry preserves, and blueberry pie, with loads of chocolate box, floral, and baking spices hints." The review emphasizes its "firm, chewy frame" and "long, multilayered finish" (Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 10/30/2018).
Vinous echoed these sentiments, scoring the wine 95+ points and describing it as "rich, deep, and explosive" with "tremendous density." The review notes the wine’s "dark cherry, plum, chocolate, leather, and menthol" finish, indicating it will age well over the years (Vinous, 12/1/2018).
Wine Enthusiast also awarded the wine 95 points, noting its "bold, powerful" nature and complexity in both ripeness and structure. The review highlights flavors of "cassis to currant, with seasonings of cocoa dust, espresso, and cigar" (Wine Enthusiast, 11/1/2019).
Wine Spectator gave it a slightly lower, but still respectable, 93 points, praising its "juicy and engaging" profile with "raspberry, blackberry, and black currant fruit flavors," and a "lively, bramble-edged finish" (Wine Spectator, 10/31/2019).
In summary, the 2016 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a wine of exceptional quality and complexity, highly lauded by critics and promising great aging potential.