Technical info
Alcohol
15.1%
Varietal
Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation
Oakville, Napa Valley
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 Borrow Pit Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 21 months in 100% new French oak barrels.
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
Located near the town of Yountville, Borrow Pit is nestled in the Oakville AVA, and sees daytime temperatures slowly climb as the cooling morning fog recedes south to San Pablo Bay. This significant diurnal shift allows the grapes to maintain their acidity, which is essential to balancing the ripe, rich flavors that develop during hot afternoons. The site’s topsoil was used in the construction of Rector Dam in 1946, and the remaining ground subsoil is Perkins Gravelly Loam, with excellent drainage well suited for Cabernet Sauvignon. In 2015 an array of six different clone and root stock combinations was planted here. Vines struggle to produce clusters of small grapes, with high skin to juice ratios and concentrated flavors that give this wine much sought-after intensity, complexity, and depth.
