Beringer, Private Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2002
As I've mentioned in recent posts, I recently went on a fishing trip to Crater Lake with family. And one of those family members runs a Bed & Breakfast down in Napa Valley. And he likes wine. So he generously brought quite the powerhouse in this bottle of wine!
The nose was very earthy, along with mushroom, pepper, bark, and (of course) oak. The taste was prune, pepper, and cayenne (a bit spicy). The finish was that prune again, along with a heavy oak.
As with most interesting wines, this one evolved over time. It was a bit acidic at first, but later on -- like 20 minutes or so, it lost that acidity and got a lot smoother. About a hour later, the taste and finish mellowed out significantly. The oak was much more subtle and subdued. Also, the fruit became much less pronounced, though there was black cherry at this point. But mainly it was just earthy (mushroom) and spicy (pepper) goodness. Very nice!
Cost:
Rating:
8.5