Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

Always the best of all of them is the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve, which in this vintage is a blend of 62% from their Howell Mountain holdings, 22% from St. Helena, 7% from Spring Mountain, 7% from Mt. Veeder and the rest from other sources. Only 7,383 cases were made of this blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot and Petit Verdot. The wine has an inky purple color, a big, sweet kiss of pen ink, graphite, cedar wood, licorice, blackberries and blackcurrants with some background oak, but it's dominated by the fruit extract and the full-bodied richness and glycerin this wine possesses. The texture is open and lush, and the wine more forward and sexy than the 2013 was at a similar stage of development. It should drink well for 20-25 years, as these wines have an impeccable track record of ageability. Drink Date: 2016-2041. Score - 95. (Robert Parker Jr., robertparker.com, Dec. 30, 2016)