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Beringer Vineyards, which celebrates its 130th anniversary this year, traces its beginnings to the arrival of Jacob Beringer in New York in 1868. Having worked in the wine cellars of the Rhine, he was naturally intrigued by reports he’d heard of the West, where fertile land and constant sunshine provided ideal conditions for vineyards. In the tiny town of St. Helena, California, he found a tract of well-drained, volcanic soil that reminded him of the vineyards in his native country. In 1875, Jacob and his brother, Frederick, bought the land and, a year later, officially opened the doors of Beringer Winery.
This year’s release of the 2002 Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($116) represents another Beringer anniversary: the 25th year of the Private Reserve Program, which began in 1981, when winemaker Myron Nightingale and his assistant, Ed Sbragia, selected the best lots from the best vineyards and carefully blended them to produce a masterful Cabernet. Sbragia, now winemaster for Beringer, continues this tradition, working with winemaker Laurie Hook. This harmonious composition showcases the balanced ripeness and structure of the 2002 vintage, offering a nose of cedar, allspice, black cherry and plum; these lush fruit flavors carry over onto the well-rounded palate. Sturdy tannins ensure that this wine will last in the cellar through many more anniversaries to come.
Beringer Vineyards, 707-967-4412, beringer.com.
2003 Paraduxx Napa Valley Red Wine
Margaret and Dan Duckhorn have, from the beginning, blazed their own trail. When the rest of Napa Valley was focused, in the late 1970s, on making Cabernet Sauvignon, the Duckhorns made the deliberate decision to focus on Merlot. Not only have they produced some of the most remarkable red wines of any variety to come out of Napa Valley, they have done so with wit and humor—not to mention a sense of adventure. One of their more tasty adventures has been Paraduxx, a proprietary red wine, introduced in 1994, that is based on Zinfandel, a rustic grape that traces its origins to Croatia.
For the 2003 Paraduxx ($45), winemaker Bill Nancarrow combined 63 percent Zinfandel with 33 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 2 percent each of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The result is a bold, intense red whose nose carries far from the glass: Powerful, fresh strawberry aromas mingle with exotic tropical scents of coconut and spiced orange. Blackberry, cherry and strawberry gush forward on the palate, resolving into a more sophisticated and subtle mix of chocolate, tobacco, cedar and oak.
Paraduxx, 707-945-0890, paraduxx.com.
Brett Anderson is senior vice president, editorial, for CurtCo Publishing.
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