Technical info
Varietal
Cabernet Sauvignon
Blend
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation
St. Helena, Napa Valley
Oak treatment
21 months in 100% French oak (90% new)
Winemaking
Beringer’s reserve vineyards offer Cabernet Sauvignon of such quality that a minimalist approach to winemaking best preserves the integrity of each site’s terroir expression. Each parcel is vinified separately and monitored carefully from the moment the fruit comes into the winery at harvest. Tailored pump-over techniques are used for optimal extraction, and the wine is aged in hand-selected, custom-toasted barrels of French oak. This 2022 Chabot Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 22 months in 100% French oak barrels (90% new).
Vintage
The first half of the 2022 harvest started calm and early, with healthy vineyards offering fruit with bright acidity, fruit-forward flavors, and strong yields for white varietals and thin-skinned reds, like Pinot Noir. Then, California experienced a historic heat wave in early September that ramped up the pace of ripening, compelling a fast and furious harvest as winemakers worked to pick fruit at its best quality. Fortunately, strong vines and proactive irrigation helped many vineyards survive the heat. The second half was much more predictable with cooler temperatures through October, so that later-ripening red varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, could develop their full flavor and tannin profile.
Vineyards
Chabot Vineyard lies east of the Silverado Trail, just north of the road that leads up Howell Mountain to Bancroft Ranch and Steinhauer Ranch. The chunks of shiny obsidian strewn heavily through its soil give name to the locale, known as “Glass Mountain.” An underlying layer of pumice and bedrock ensures excellent drainage. The inky, highly structured, deeply flavored Cabernet from this vineyard was the first that Beringer Vineyards elected to bottle as a Private Reserve in 1977, and it continues to be a frequent component of contemporary Private Reserve vintages.
