Beringer Vineyards
Knights Valley Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Sonoma County, California, USA
Kicking off my birthday week with this, the first of several 1981 wines to celebrate my 40th birthday. Back then, Myron Nightingale was still making the wines but Ed Sbragia was already at Beringer by then so I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he has his hands on this wine. The capsule spun freely so that was a good sign. I didn’t have a Durand so I used a normal wine key but I was able to pull the cork intact…though I took it very nice and slow. The cork was saturated a little over halfway. No decanter used. Very light ruby color with a slight orange-ish rim indicating there was age but otherwise, the color was good! On the nose, this was quite a bit more youthful and open for business from the pour. Tart red rope cherry licorice, bell pepper, tobacco, leather and earth. The tannins were completely integrated and the acid was medium +, no doubt extending the life of this bottle. The finish was long and quite zippy. At sub-13% ABV, you could hardly compare it to the California Cabernet Sauvignons of today. This was opened along with the 1981 Silver Oak and this bottle showed better tonight than its fancier Napa counterpart, drinking well for several hours. FWIW, I acquired this wine from a private collection; provenance was excellent.
Kicking off my birthday week with this, the first of several 1981 wines to celebrate my 40th birthday. Back then, Myron Nightingale was still making the wines but Ed Sbragia was already at Beringer by then so I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he has his hands on this wine. The capsule spun freely so that was a good sign. I didn’t have a Durand so I used a normal wine key but I was able to pull the cork intact…though I took it very nice and slow. The cork was saturated a little over halfway. No decanter used. Very light ruby color with a slight orange-ish rim indicating there was age but otherwise, the color was good! On the nose, this was quite a bit more youthful and open for business from the pour. Tart red rope cherry licorice, bell pepper, tobacco, leather and earth. The tannins were completely integrated and the acid was medium +, no doubt extending the life of this bottle. The finish was long and quite zippy. At sub-13% ABV, you could hardly compare it to the California Cabernet Sauvignons of today. This was opened along with the 1981 Silver Oak and this bottle showed better tonight than its fancier Napa counterpart, drinking well for several hours. FWIW, I acquired this wine from a private collection; provenance was excellent.
May 4th, 2021