One of the great efforts of recent years, and not surprisingly so, is the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve, a blend of 81% from Howell Mountain, 11% from St. Helena and the rest Calistoga and Mount Veeder. It is a blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot aged 20 months in 84% new French oak. At 15.2% natural alcohol, this is a big boy, but also classic Napa Cabernet Sauvignon with crème de cassis, graphite, licorice, and a touch of spicy oak. Winemaker Laurie Hook, who has since departed as winemaker, really hit a home run with this beauty. The wine could benefit from 7-10 years cellaring and probably last 30 to 40. When all is said and done, this is an instant classic, the wine full-bodied with oodles of crème de cassis, pen ink, graphite and baking spices. It is multi-dimensional, layered, and one of the all-time great Beringer Private Reserves – and there have been many.

A big, dense wine, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve is solid. Much fresher and more delineated than the single-vineyard wines, the 2013 captures the freshness and overall intensity of the year. Graphite, smoke, inky blue/purplish fruit, wild flowers and lavender meld together to form an attractive mélange of aromas and flavors.

Richly fruited with a malt-loaf style of aroma as well as blueberry, juniper and violet. This delivers way better fruit complexity than the monolith Napa Cabernet cliché. Toasty, rich, proudly tannic. A good flag-bearer. (RH)

96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Aged for 20 months in French oak (84% new). Naughty heavy bottle, this is very old style California Cab. Much darker crimson than most other wines in this collection. Dense, sweet, thick – too sweet to seem appetising to me, but some palates may very much like this blockbuster style. A bit old-fashioned? (JR)