Beringer's Private Reserve in the 2021 vintage combines 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot, and 2% Malbec. It was aged 18 months in 65% new French oak. It's a very stylish wine with an excellent balance between its powerful, fine-grained tannins and plump, juicy, black-toned fruits. The bouquet is lovely, too, revealing a wealth of vintage-specific savoury potpourri character in its sagebrush, dried rose petal, and coriander atop candied red berry fruits and fragrant ironstone minerality. Full-bodied, with a deep core of succulent blackberry fruit that is downright silky. Between the dazzling fruit character and perfectly integrated tannin, the Private Reserve has a seamless quality, making it so approachable now but well-endowed with the structure to age gracefully.

So much dark berry, dried berry, matchstick and iodine here. Plus intense aromas of black currants and black berries. So floral. Full-bodied with firm and compacted tannins that are super polished and balanced. Very long and linear. The tightness, focus and complexity harks back to the 1990s but the purity and transparency is today. September 2024 release. 80% cabernet sauvignon, 12% cabernet franc, 6% merlot, and 2% malbec. Best after 2026.

The 2021 Private Reserve is the most refined of the 2021s from Beringer. The aromatics alone are so alluring. There's 12% Cabernet Franc in the blend this year, and that comes through loud and clear. Crushed flowers, espresso, mint, licorice and red/purplish fruit all grace this silky, super-polished offering.- Antonio Galloni

(96+ points) The flagship from Beringer, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve is from a mix of sites and is based on 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot, 2% Malbec brought up all in barrel. Its deep ruby/plum hue is followed by rock-solid aromatics of darker currants, chocolate, leafy herbs, and lead pencil shavings. It's a classic 2021 on the palate and has a more inward, concentrated mouthfeel, ripe yet building tannins, ample mid-palate depth, and a great finish. It's holding things relatively close to its vest at the moment, yet it clearly has potential. Hide bottles for 4-5 years if you can, and it's going to have well over two decades of prime drinking.

A reliably high-quality wine year after year, Beringer's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve incorporates lots from across the single-vineyard range—Bancroft Ranch, Borrow Pit, Chabot, Home Ranch, Lampyridae and Steinhauer Ranch. Rich blueberry fruit is joined by cassis and black cherries, punched up by hints of sage and pine. It's full-bodied, concentrated and tannic, with a long, silky textured finish. This vintage, the blend is composed of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot and 2% Malbec. Give it a few years in the cellar, and drink it over the next two decades.

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2021 Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a little closed to begin, need swirling to unlock notes of ripe blackberries, stewed plums, and blackcurrant jelly, plus suggestions of sauteed herbs, damp soil, and charcoal. The concentrated, full-bodied palate packs-in powerful black fruit flavors with a firm, grainy texture and racy acidity, finishing long and earthy.

This is ripe and generous in feel, as the core of succulent boysenberry and blackberry compote sparkles with energy, throwing off additional anise, apple wood and sweet bay hints. There's a flash of iris on the finish, which is driven by racy acidity. Best from 2025 through 2040. 3,530 cases made.

Generous, full bodied and lush, this wine tastes of black plum, dark cocoa and sweet spices, with impressive persistence and palate-filling presence. Powdery-fine tannins coat the mouth and carry into a lengthy finish. — Elaine Chukan Brown