2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve

Bright red-ruby to the rim. Pure but reticent scents of dark berries, black cherry, licorice, leather, cocoa powder, violet and earth. Fine-grained and quite firm on entry, conveying a high pitch to its still-tight dark fruit, menthol, violet and spice flavors. A lively, savory midweight in a European direction, not as sweet as this wine can be in hotter years. In fact, this is rather uncompromising owing to its spine of minerality--and tighter than an outstanding bottle I tasted five years ago. Finishes with firm-edged, building tannins that may yet soften further. Turned a bit dusty with air, but remained juicy and alive. In fact, my sample lost nothing with 48 hours in the recorked bottle. Can this still improve? This wine was made mostly from mountain fruit in 2001.

(at this point, the reserve is mostly from mountain fruit, including a good bit of Tre Colline) Bright medium ruby. Sexy, primary aromas of cassis and black cherry. Dense, sweet and penetrating, with vibrant flavors of black fruits and bitter chocolate. Seamless and full without any excess weight; offers a superb combination of flesh and structure. Very concentrated cabernet, finishing with dusty, ripe tannins and outstanding length. The team here feels that this bottling routinely outstrips all the other Beringer cabernets.