A closer look at the Beringer Private Reserve wines
It took almost 10 months before I got myself back inside a restaurant for dinner, and it was worth the long wait as this special dinner would feature no less than the highly acclaimed Beringer Private Reserve wines from Napa Valley. The venue for this dinner event was equally enticing, as it was held at The Peak, the Grand Hyatt BGC’s signature multi-level food and beverage hub (composed of a grill restaurant, music lounge and a whisky bar), located from the 60th to the 62th floor and with the most captivating and highest view of the Metro Manila skyline.
Admittedly, this was my first time to see The Peak for myself, as, being a Quezon City resident, it is time-consuming and a tedious drive to go to Taguig City unless I really needed to. Prior to this event, I was at this relatively new Grand Hyatt BGC only on two occasions — both in the second half of 2019: one was to meet a foreign guest at The Lounge, and the other time was during the Whisky Live event held at the Grand Ballroom in October of last year.
BERINGER: A HOUSEHOLD NAME FOR WINE
Beringer Vineyards is Treasury Wine Estates’ most prized possession among its California winery holdings. Beringer Vineyards is, according to its website, the oldest continuously operating winery in the Napa Valley — since 1876, making them 144 years old now. “Continuously” is the operative word here because, as history will tell us, there was the implementation of the notorious 1920 alcohol prohibition law, also known as the 18th amendment to the US Constitution, which was unfathomably devastating not only to the fledgling American wine industry, but also to their spirits counterparts, notably the bourbons. This prohibition would eventually be repealed after 13 years by then President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. Apparently, Beringer persisted in making wine during Prohibition for religious purposes as allowed by law.
Beringer also became the first California winery to offer wine tasting and public visits — as early as 1934 — and till this day, the Beringer Vineyards tour remains a “must do” for Napa tourists. In my humble opinion, Beringer as a brand ranks only perhaps second or, at worst, third to Robert Mondavi and E&J Gallo when it comes to all-time Californian wine recognition. Beringer Vineyards has amassed gazillions of awards, accolades, high ratings, and critical acclaims throughout its long illustrious existence — a true testament to Beringer Vineyards’ sustained quality standards.
THE BERINGER PRIVATE RESERVE RANGE
Ed Sbragia, Beringer Vineyard’s former superstar chief winemaker and now proprietor (and still winemaker) of his eponymous Sbragia Family Vineyards in Sonoma County, has been vastly credited for starting and crafting the Beringer Private Reserve wines — a range that catapulted Beringer into iconic status. The first vintage of the Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was the 1977, while the first vintage of its’ white wine counterpart was the Private Reserve Chardonnay 1978. These two Beringer Private Reserve wines continue to be Beringer’s most prestigious and sought-after wines for over four-decades running.
The original concept behind the Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was to make the very best Cabernet Sauvignon from the different wine regions/AVAs (American Viticultural Area) and finest vineyards within Napa. This multi-vineyard, multi-AVA blending is similar to what I mentioned in a previous column about the Penfolds winemaking philosophy on its premium range, where Penfolds produces consistently high-quality wines year-in year-out despite vintage differences and challenges. No surprise therefore that both Penfolds and Beringer Vineyards represent Treasury Wine Estates’ quality benchmarks for Australian and Californian wines respectively.
SMALL GATHERING OF WINE AFFICIONADOS
Only a small cozy group of no more than 20 people were present at this event, including Alan Anastacio, Treasury Wine Estates country manager; Griffith Go, Happy Living managing director; Julian Gagliardi, Happy Living general manager; and the Grand Hyatt BGC general manager Gottfried Bogensperger. This Beringer Private Reserve event had two parts, both staged at the elegant and charming 62th floor whisky bar area of The Peak (closed for this private function). The first part was a master class, conducted by Beringer Brand Ambassador Catherine Wong live from Singapore via Zoom.
I loved this idea as the featured wines, which included a Private Reserve Chardonnay and four vintages of the Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, were all tasted first, one at a time, with no food other than bread and butter (if anyone wanted a palate cleanser aside from water in between wines). This was a great exercise especially for wine lovers who want to taste the wine on its own first, and without the influence of food. The second part was the formal wine dinner, pairing the Beringer Private Reserve wines with a special menu created by chef Mark Hagan. I liked the fact that this wasn’t some “hardcore” pairing where guests were told to specifically pair a dish with a wine, but rather a more self-discretion type of personal pairing. The four-course menu was excellent. Special mention must be made of the wild mushroom risotto which was absolutely incredible and probably the best I’ve ever had!
MY CUSTOMARY TASTING NOTES (IN ORDER OF TASTING):
Beringer Chardonnay Napa Valley 2017 — served as cocktail drink; 100% Chardonnay; “light citrus, flinty, like a first crisp green apple bite, slightly tarty, very fresh and pure, with lemon rind at the end”; P1,390/bottle.
Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay Napa Valley 2017 — 100% Chardonnay; “subtle nose with peach and lemon, buttery, almonds, cinnamon, yeasty, graphite and minerals, lengthy, with buttered toast elements, nice refreshing dry finish”; P2,590/bottle.
Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2006 — 100% Cabernet Sauvignon; “crème de cassis, dried berries, figs, vanilla, violets, satin-like texture, melt in the mouth tannins, deliciously dry, with potpourri of berries showing at the end”; P11,990/bottle.
Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2009 — this wine has 2% Petit Verdot added to the 98% Cabernet Sauvignon; “very alluring rich nose ala blueberry pie, whiff of graham cracker crust, toffee, complex with lavender and floral essences, lengthy on the mouth with vanilla, cassis, raisins and graphite, long delectable finish”; P11,990/bottle.
Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2010 — 100% Cabernet Sauvignon; “elegant nose, freshly baked croissant, ripe blueberries, mocha, all-spice, nutmeg, cinnamon bark, crusty and supple texture, with nice aftertaste of cassis and peppercorn; very long and lengthy in flavors from first sip to last precious drop”; P11,990/bottle.
Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2014 — this wine has 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec to go with 97% Cabernet Sauvignon; “bright and sultry fruits, quite sophisticated on the nose with complex minerals and herbs, slate, cinnamon bark, full-bodied, dry with lingering black currant on the finish”; P7,990/bottle.
These wines are all available, albeit at very limited quantities of the older vintages of the Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, from Happy Living Philippines Corp. Please contact them at 8895-6507 or 8896-0336. With Christmas just around the corner, a Beringer Private Reserve wine gift will surely brighten any recipient’s day.
The author is the only Filipino member of the UK-based Circle of Wine Writers (CWW). For comments, inquiries, wine event coverage, wine consultancy and other wine related concerns, e-mail the author at protegeinc@yahoo.com or via Twitter at www.twitter.com/sherwinlao.
