Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

Description

From The Winemaker

Beringer Vineyards has owned and farmed its Knights Valley vineyards since the mid-1960s, when the Beringer family recognized that the cobbled, rocky alluvial soils were a great place to grow high quality wine grapes. The Knights Valley designation was first used on a Beringer label in 1974. Beringer was instrumental in garnering official recognition for the area in 1983 as a premier wine growing region in the form of its own American Viticulture Area (AVA) designation.

Tasting Notes

On the nose you get classic Cabernet aromas: blackcurrant, blackberry and dark cherry, followed by cedar box, dried sage and a touch of cocoa. With air, a faint volcanic dust/iron note appears — very characteristic of Knights Valley’s warm days and cool nights.

The palate is medium-to-full bodied with firmer tannins than most entry-level California Cabs. Ripe cassis and plum sit at the core, layered with mocha, baking spice and toasted oak. The acidity keeps it lively rather than heavy, and there’s a subtle herbal edge (bay leaf and tobacco leaf) that gives the wine a more “old-school California” personality instead of a jammy one.

The finish is dry, structured and slightly earthy with lingering dark chocolate and graphite. It drinks well now with a short decant, but will improve over the next 5–10 years as the tannins soften.