🏷️ Lot Overview
- Region: Knights Valley (89%), Oakville (11%)
- Vintage: 2023
- Blend: 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot
- Chat GPT Original Source Guess: Beringer Private Reserve program
- Wine Berserkers Guess: Peter Michael L’Esprit des Pavots
- Alcohol: 15.5%
- Oak Aging: Undisclosed (likely 50–80% new French oak)
- Cam Price: $16.50 ($199/case)
- Retail Estimate: $125–$175
- Drink Window: 2025–2040
🍷 Cameron’s Release Notes
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Lot 5 – 2023 Knights Valley Meritage
We’ll keep this one short… mostly because we have to.
Pretty tight NDA here, folks. No names. No vineyards. No backstory. But we can tell you this:
- 89% Knights Valley, 11% Oakville
- 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot
- 225 cases available
- Bottling in late July
- $199 for the case
We’re bottling this exactly as we received it. No tweaks. No adjustments. Just a killer wine with the kind of pedigree that normally doesn’t get within a mile of this list.
The Wine
Inky and dark, with a seductive nose of plum reduction, graphite, cigar leaf, and cocoa powder. As it opens, it deepens into crème de mûre, powdered violets, red rock, and wild garrigue.
On the palate, it’s plush, seamless, and bold—purple and black fruit, chocolate, and toasty French oak riding a chewy, structured tannin wave. Integrated, concentrated, and long as hell on the finish.
Tasting Notes
Dark and inky in the glass, Lot 5 features a hedonistic bouquet of plum reduction, graphite, cigar leaf and cocoa powder. The complexion of the bouquet darkens as it complexes, adding crème de mûre, red rock, powdered violets with hints of garrigue.
Uber-plush on the palate, cascading a magic carpet ride of purple and black fruit, chocolate, and toasty French oak all riding a deliciously chewy tannin structure. Succulent as all get-out yet perfectly integrated and harmonious, all the elements are seamlessly balanced with lush, concentrated fruit supported by fresh acidity in a long, glorious and epic finish that never seems to end.
Exquisite in every way, this Cab-based Bordeaux blend will absolutely knock your socks off!
🧠🧠ChatGPT says:
🔍 Source Guess: Beringer Vineyards (most likely); possibly Kundee Family Winery or Peter Michael Winery (less likely)
🧾 Rationale:
- Knights Valley Dominance: Beringer is the dominant player in Knights Valley. They’ve been sourcing and producing estate-grown Bordeaux blends from this AVA for decades, including the high-end Knights Valley Reserve line. Their vineyard holdings and winemaking facility give them both the volume and flexibility to offload premium juice under strict NDAs.
- Oakville Component (11%): The presence of Oakville fruit strongly hints at a Napa-based producer with cross-AVA access. Beringer owns significant vineyard acreage in both Knights Valley and Oakville, making them a rare candidate with fruit in both zones.
- Blending Style & Varietals: A classic left-bank-style Bordeaux blend with Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc, and Petite Verdot (no Malbec). This mirrors the blend profile Beringer uses in several of their proprietary reds, including their Knights Valley Reserve and Private Reserve series.
- Tasting Note Language: Descriptors like “plum reduction, graphite, cigar leaf, and powdered violets” align closely with Beringer’s higher-end bottlings. The profile of plushness, integrated tannins, and long aging potential is consistent with their style.
- Production Volume: 225 cases is consistent with a small lot from a larger winery’s reserve-tier juice, particularly if it was carved off before final blending or declassified for market reasons. Beringer has the scale to do this kind of precise segmentation.
- Swiss Watch Analogy + “Not Flagship, Not Second Wine”: This sounds exactly like a declassified reserve or special lot that didn’t fit into the final blend—not a reject, just a side project from a large, quality-focused producer like Beringer.
🤔 Alternative Considerations:
Peter Michael Winery – They are ultra-premium and known for rich, powerful Bordeaux blends from Knights Valley (e.g., Les Pavots). However, they rarely, if ever, offload juice—and likely wouldn’t participate in a futures-style deal at this price point.
Kunde Family Winery – They produce Bordeaux-style reds from Knights Valley and Sonoma Valley, and have the infrastructure to bottle small lots. However, they don’t typically work with Oakville fruit or operate at this luxury tier.
⏳ Drink Window
Early Enjoyment:
2025–2027, after bottle shock settles and tannins soften.
Peak Drinking:
2028–2036. Plush, structured fruit and high alcohol suggest a long, hedonistic mid-life.
Hold Potential:
Through 2040. The Cab backbone and concentration can carry it for 15+ years. Expect tertiary notes (cigar box, graphite, dried violets) to emerge with age.
My Call:
⏳ Drink window: 2025–2040 (peak 2028–2036)
🧑‍🤝‍🧑🍷 Wine Berserker Community Guess: Peter Michael L’Esprit des Pavots