Color - Ruby red
Nose - Blackberry, smoke
Taste - I'm not going to mince words with you, this is a fruit forward wine, close to being too fruit forward for my tastes. In fact, it's right on the edge and on a few sips tipped over the edge just a little bit. There are TONS of dark berries, plum, raisin, a tiny hint of oak, and a slightly smoky aftertaste. The fruit doesn't overwhelm the taste on most sips but is reined in with a good balance of alcohol and tannins (there were a few times were the fruit did seem to flood my palate, but I think this was more due to mis-pairing of food rather than the wine itself). This is a medium bodied wine with a pleasantly long finish. This wine is easily enjoyable without food, in fact, I would go as far as to say this wine is better without food than when paired. It is balanced and smooth without food and can be finicky, in my opinion, when you pair it. The only thing holding this wine back is the lack of complexity and depth in the flavor transitions and the tendency of the flavor in the mid-palate to show a little too much raisin and plum for my taste. This wine doesn't hold any surprises, so don't look for any, nonetheless it is a good offering of a New World Cab.
Overall, this is a good wine with a good QPR. If you are a fan of inexpensive California Cabs (fruity without a lot of herbaceous or spice notes) this one is definitely for you. It is close to the Washington Cabs I have tried recently as well, only falling a little short in the complexity department. I'd say this is a wine you would want to at least try and perhaps keep a bottle around the house for those times when you need an inexpensive bottle of red to round out a meal.
Beringer Wines
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