Put them all together and you have the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve, a sensational 14,000-case cuvee that is one of the benchmarks for what Napa Valley is capable of achieving. Its dense purple color is followed by copious notes of smoky barbecue, creme de cassis, white chocolate, blackberries, charcoal and truffles. Full-bodied, fleshy and succulent, with sweet tannins in the finish, this 2002 has not yet hit full maturity. Give it another 2-4 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following two decades. I asked the winemaking team what the final blend was for the 2002 Private Reserve, and to the best of their recollection, the largest component was from Steinhauer Ranch (50%), followed by St. Helena Home Ranch (23%) and tiny percentages of Bancroft, Rancho del Oso, Chabot, Marston, and some Cabernet Franc from Howell Mountain. As longtime readers know, the Beringer winery blends all their top single vineyards into their flagship wine, the Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. At the same time, for members of their private club, they offer several hundred cases of these same vineyards bottled separately as an educational journey through different Napa Valley terroirs considered to be the finest in their program. Interestingly, the Private Reserve blend always seems to eclipse the component parts, as evidenced by the following tasting notes. Tel. (866) 708-9463

Production: 14,200 cases; Alcohol: 14.2%; Blend: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon; Harvest Dates: September 21 to October 16. A gorgeous growing season was mild until the end of September when temperatures soared. The results are powerful, concentrated, flamboyant 2002s in Napa. The 2002 Private Reserve is a blend of fruit from Steinhauer Ranch (48%), St. Helena Home Vineyard (23%), Marston Ranch (8%), Bancroft Ranch (7%), Rancho del Oso (6%) and the balance Chabot Vineyard. This exuberant, powerful wine exhibits a dense purple color as well as a wonderful, sexy, earthy, flamboyant bouquet and sweet, fat, fleshy flavors. This is a succulent, classic California fruit bomb offering up spice box, licorice, tobacco leaf, seductive smoky oak, and abundant creme de cassis and blackberry fruit. Viscous, thick and juicy, it appears to be on a relatively fast evolutionary track and can be drunk now or cellared for another 10-15 years.

A potentially outstanding effort is the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Knight’s Valley. Soft, voluptuous, and opulent, with gobs of black currant fruit intermixed with cedar, licorice, and smoky oak, this beauty should drink well for 10-12 years. Tel. (707) 963-7115; Fax (707) 963-1735

Huge wine, young and tannic, almost bitter now and not offering much relief. But of course you don’t buy Beringer PR tonight. There is indeed enormous Cabernet flavor deep down inside, offering oodles of blackberries and cherries and charry new oak, but there’s also a warning note of prune. Best after 2008. ——S.H.(9/1/2006)—— 90