I asked my wife to read the Berserkers thread where I asked for advice on which bottle to pull. She went with this one. Can’t see how it has much more to give, but a pleasant surprise.
1999 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve- USA, California, Napa Valley (1/30/2010)
Nice effort overall. Nose brought cedar and a kind of NY City taxi pine cone air freshener, along with a whiff of blackberry. It was nice to find a Napa Cab that wasn’t dominated by cassis and fruit compote on the palate; this brought a hint of cassis, balanced by grilled sage and more cedar. But the finish was a bit hot, which was surprising given the relatively lithe profile. The ABV is listed at 13.9, but given ABV listing latitude I wondered if it wasn’t fudged downward. Anyway, it wasn’t ridiculously hot - more like Amy Adams compared to Scarlett Johansson. And nice to be able to see my fingers through the glass. (87 pts.)
Thanks for the note Evan. When I had it at a dinner recently, it showed better than you describe, and I did not detect any heat at all. I also think they were darker than you describe, but the bottles we had came direct from the winery which would explain them seeming surprisingly young.
Bruce - I’d say it showed very well indeed! In regards to color, this was a dark wine but not dark enough to be opaque, which seems to be more and more common in the valley. It was stored impeccably, but of course bottles straight from the winery are always the preferred option.
Also, fwiw, it was decanted for four hours and consumed over three.
I wonder if the long decant time allowed enough fruit to dissipate that the heat you describe was able to show. My interest in this is that I have one bottle in the cellar that I got at the dinner and plan to keep for another 2 years or so. But I expect to do a pop and pour when I do open it.
As an aside, based on your comment about how well it showed and your score in the first post, I’d say you are a tough grader. Not that I am criticizing, as I never assign points in the first place. But if I did, I would have been several points higher.
I actually don’t really believe in points, but multiple CellarTracker posters have told me that “no one will read your reviews if there’s not a score attached.” So for now I’m acquiescing, though that might change.
As for toughness, I tend to think that there are way too many 90+ wines, and I’m rough on many Napa wines because I prefer a more elegant style. Certainly my 87 is a 92 for many others.