Moderators: Jenise, Robin Garr, David M. Bueker
Brian K Miller
Passionate Arboisphile
9340
Fri Aug 25, 2006 1:05 am
Northern California
David M. Bueker
Riesling Guru
34384
Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:52 am
Connecticut
Brian K Miller
Passionate Arboisphile
9340
Fri Aug 25, 2006 1:05 am
Northern California
Jeff B
Champagne Lover
2160
Wed Sep 10, 2008 7:01 pm
Michigan (perhaps more cleverly known as "The Big Mitten")
Brian K Miller
Passionate Arboisphile
9340
Fri Aug 25, 2006 1:05 am
Northern California
Bob Henrick
Kamado Kommander
3919
Thu Mar 23, 2006 7:35 pm
Lexington, Ky.
Brian K Miller wrote:1997 Beringer Knight's Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. This has always been a pretty distinctive wine to me. It has a very strong green bell pepper/almost a jalapeno juice character. Tonight, we discovered that this character is not new to recent vintages. Bell pepper and jalapeno juice to the max. Also some plum and cassis fruit, but the green tannins were quite powerful. Not sure how to rate this one, given that it was very true to the character of this wine but I'm not sure I really "like it"
2003 Seavey Merlot Napa Valley. This showed better than I expected, frankly...I was expecting a harsh, goop-bomb. Actually, though, the wine was a very nice quaffer, with soft tannins and a lush mouth feel. While the nose had an acrid note that suggested it was a bit over the hill, the palate showed soft plum and some earth and just a whisper of tobacco. I liked the taste-especially that plush mouth feel-better than the nose. I also found it brighter and lighter in the mouth than the comments about flabbiness might suggest. Not a big fan of Napa Valley Merlot, but I would rate this a solid 87 points-performed above expectations and about where Cellar Tracker comments suggested it should.
I did not find the oak excessive at 6 years of age (as in some Cellartracker comments), but true quercaphobes' mileage may vary.
David M. Bueker
Riesling Guru
34384
Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:52 am
Connecticut
Bob Henrick
Kamado Kommander
3919
Thu Mar 23, 2006 7:35 pm
Lexington, Ky.
Jeff B wrote:One of the best red wines and cabs I've ever had was the 1996 Beringer Knights Valley! However, it was "best" to me for more the opposite reasons - it was FREE of the "green/vegetal" characteristics that I typically DON'T like in reds/cabs. Instead it was lush, thick and very mouth coating in tannins (which is always a most positive trait in my eyes and rather surprised me for a "supermarket" wine). Yeah, it was probably a bit TOO ripe as I recall and would surely be labeled as a bit "over the top" as most these kind of wines are but, when the tannins are that abundant and the overall body that plush and filling it's hard for me to say I wasn't unashamedly enjoying it! In fact, that was the wine that years ago turned me on to the over-indulgent bliss of Beringer as a whole (at least when they're good rather than "green") and got me into some of the "Private Reserve" bottlings, a handful of which I still have cellaring and yet to try.
Of course other bottles of Knights Valley have never seemed to touch that '96. I don't know if that was just a randomly "perfect" bottle uncorked at just the perfect stage or if they all were that deliciously lush and chalky? I do know I wish I had bought a few more bottles to find out but who knew. I only had the pleasure of drinking that single one.
Jeff
Jeff B
Champagne Lover
2160
Wed Sep 10, 2008 7:01 pm
Michigan (perhaps more cleverly known as "The Big Mitten")
Bob Henrick wrote:Jeff B wrote:One of the best red wines and cabs I've ever had was the 1996 Beringer Knights Valley! However, it was "best" to me for more the opposite reasons - it was FREE of the "green/vegetal" characteristics that I typically DON'T like in reds/cabs. Instead it was lush, thick and very mouth coating in tannins (which is always a most positive trait in my eyes and rather surprised me for a "supermarket" wine). Yeah, it was probably a bit TOO ripe as I recall and would surely be labeled as a bit "over the top" as most these kind of wines are but, when the tannins are that abundant and the overall body that plush and filling it's hard for me to say I wasn't unashamedly enjoying it! In fact, that was the wine that years ago turned me on to the over-indulgent bliss of Beringer as a whole (at least when they're good rather than "green") and got me into some of the "Private Reserve" bottlings, a handful of which I still have cellaring and yet to try.
Of course other bottles of Knights Valley have never seemed to touch that '96. I don't know if that was just a randomly "perfect" bottle uncorked at just the perfect stage or if they all were that deliciously lush and chalky? I do know I wish I had bought a few more bottles to find out but who knew. I only had the pleasure of drinking that single one.
Jeff
Jeff,
I have some 91 and 94 KV and if you tell me you will come to Mo'Cool, I will throw a bottle of each in the truck and bring them for a taste of what KV used to be.
Brian K Miller
Passionate Arboisphile
9340
Fri Aug 25, 2006 1:05 am
Northern California
David M. Bueker wrote:Bob,
Wines like the Knight's Valley (and Private Reserve Cab to name another) are the same wine they always were. I was sort of joking on the green/Sociando thing, but the Knight's Valley for the most part is still recognizably Cabernet. (I say much the same about Mondavi's Cabernet & Reserve.)
I do wonder why we would expect a mid-level wine to last more than 10 years. If we put it in perspective, the great cabs of the '70s (e..g Mayacamas, Heitz Martha's) were a very small subset. The great cabs of the '90s and new millennium are still a small subset, and most wines are still best on release or a few years after.
David M. Bueker
Riesling Guru
34384
Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:52 am
Connecticut
Bob Henrick wrote:Brian, the 95 was the last vintage I bought multiple bottles of this wine, and even then I wished I had not. before then I was a Beringer slut.
Jenise
FLDG Dishwasher
42664
Tue Mar 21, 2006 2:45 pm
The Pacific Northest Westest
Brian K Miller wrote:I am wondering more and more about vintage character. Many of the (still too few) vaunted 1997 vintage that I have had a chance to taste have not held up very well and have even had this thin character.
The hated 1998s, though....
ChefJCarey
Wine guru
4508
Sat Mar 10, 2007 8:06 pm
Noir Side of the Moon
David M. Bueker wrote:I very much like the Beaulieu Georges de la Tour as well. I have a history with that wine, since many of the older guys in my tasting group bought it back in the '60s and '70s. I've been lucky enough to taste the '68, '70, '74, '75, '78, '80, '81, '84 and on into the '90s.
I haven't had a GdlT from the new millenium yet.
ChefJCarey
Wine guru
4508
Sat Mar 10, 2007 8:06 pm
Noir Side of the Moon
Bob Henrick wrote:Jeff B wrote:One of the best red wines and cabs I've ever had was the 1996 Beringer Knights Valley! However, it was "best" to me for more the opposite reasons - it was FREE of the "green/vegetal" characteristics that I typically DON'T like in reds/cabs. Instead it was lush, thick and very mouth coating in tannins (which is always a most positive trait in my eyes and rather surprised me for a "supermarket" wine). Yeah, it was probably a bit TOO ripe as I recall and would surely be labeled as a bit "over the top" as most these kind of wines are but, when the tannins are that abundant and the overall body that plush and filling it's hard for me to say I wasn't unashamedly enjoying it! In fact, that was the wine that years ago turned me on to the over-indulgent bliss of Beringer as a whole (at least when they're good rather than "green") and got me into some of the "Private Reserve" bottlings, a handful of which I still have cellaring and yet to try.
Of course other bottles of Knights Valley have never seemed to touch that '96. I don't know if that was just a randomly "perfect" bottle uncorked at just the perfect stage or if they all were that deliciously lush and chalky? I do know I wish I had bought a few more bottles to find out but who knew. I only had the pleasure of drinking that single one.
Jeff
Jeff,
I have some 91 and 94 KV and if you tell me you will come to Mo'Cool, I will throw a bottle of each in the truck and bring them for a taste of what KV used to be.
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