“In this series we bring you our #FavouriteThings Holiday Gift Suggestions which we personally recommend”
Beringer wines are known for their quality. This selection is now exception and will make a wonderful gift for someone special on your list this year.
Currently a featured wine at BC Liquor Stores with special pricing through December 31st. It would be a good idea to get on this one and stock up for your holiday entertaining and gift giving.
2019 BERINGER KNIGHTS VALLEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON
This Cabernet is set each vintage as a Bordeaux blend, with soft and silky tannins. A beautiful Bordeaux blend, with soft, round tannins and a plush, rich mouthfeel.
DESCRIPTION
Beringer Vineyards has owned and farmed its Knights Valley vineyards since the mid-1960s, when the Beringer family recognized that the cobbled, rocky alluvial soils were a great place to grow high quality wine grapes. The Knights Valley designation was first used on a Beringer label in 1974. Beringer was instrumental in garnering official recognition for the area in 1983 as a premier wine growing region with the award of its own American Viticulture Area (AVA) designation.
Examples of great pairings: Grilled Steak, Roast Beef, Rack of Lamb, Lamb Shank, Osso Bucco, Sharp Cheddar
$51.99 available at BC Liquor Stores currently on sale for $44.99 until December 31st
In 1868, Jacob Beringer left Germany and settled in California, where he built the now-historic Beringer Winery. A vibrant Cab with chocolate, prune, licorice, cinnamon and tobacco aromas. Cellar 3-5 years, or decant and pair with roast beef, grilled quail or Beemster cheese.
$49.95 available at the LCBO
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
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JAMESSUCKLING.COM
“This is really focused, with brightness to the sweet tobacco and berries. Medium-bodied with bright acidity, finesse and drinkability. Very fine. Ripe-currant center-palate. 87% cabernet sauvignon, 8% merlot, 2% cabernet franc, 2% malbec and 1% petit verdot. Drink or hold.” – James Suckling, May 4, 2022
90
WINE ADVOCATE
“There were more than 160,000 cases of the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley produced, so it’s good to see that it is performing well. There’s an attractive floral top note that adds a touch of complexity to the cassis fruit, while the medium to full-bodied palate is silky and even elegant. It’s a better wine—and far better value—than many entry-level wines sourced from Napa Valley.” – Joe Czerwinski, June 2022
WINE & VINTAGE DETAILS
TASTING NOTES
This crowd-pleasing Cabernet Sauvignon is a beautiful Bordeaux blend, with soft, round tannins and a plush, rich mouthfeel. Built to age and develop further complexity, the wine in its youth is ripe and juicy upfront with aromas of fresh boysenberry, blackberry, and cassis, alongside dark berry fruit notes of fig, black cherry cola, and currants. The warm baking spice notes from the oak-integration work well with the more traditional Knights Valley tones of lavender, wild sage, and mocha. Lively and well-balanced with vibrant acidity, chewy tannins, and a long, smooth, satisfying finish.
VINTAGE
Abundant late winter rains gave the soils much needed moisture to kick off the 2019 growing season. The long, warm summer saw few extreme heat events and the typical foggy mornings set the stage for producing vibrant and expressive wines. The long and relatively mild finish to the season helped to preserve freshness and finesse in the fruit with extended hangtime producing great color, flavor, structure, and tannin. Overall, the season was marked by exceptional fruit development with bright acidity, producing an outstanding vintage. The fruit for this wine was picked from October 10 through 25, 2019.
VINEYARD & WINEMAKING DETAILS
VINEYARD
Located 17 miles northwest of the winery, Knights Valley vineyard is approximately 600 acres, and has rocky, well-drained soils that are perfectly suited to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.
WINEMAKING
To maintain the unique characteristics of the different lots from varying areas of the vineyard, each is monitored carefully through the vinification and aging process. Extended maceration created larger tannins to enhance the lush mouthfeel of the blend and extracted a maximum of color, aromas, and flavors. The wines were then aged in French oak barrels (30% new) for 15 months and underwent malolactic fermentation for further development of texture and mouthfeel.
RYAN RECH – WINEMAKER
In 2016, Ryan returned to Napa Valley to join Beringer Vineyards as Luxury Red Winemaker and crafted wines from the Knight’s Valley estate. He was appointed Sr. Winemaker and General Manager in 2017 and elevated to Chief Winemaker in 2021. Ryan is honored to bring recognition to the wines produced at one of Napa Valley’s best known and most beloved wineries, following in the footsteps of a roster of acclaimed chief winemakers such as Ed Sbragia, Myron Nightingale, Laurie Hook, and Mark Beringer.
Blend 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec, 1% Petit Verdot
Wine notes courtesy of the winery. Notes in italics courtesy of BC Liquor Stores and the LCBO. Images: MyVanCity. I received complimentary wine to facilitate this feature.
