Beringer Vineyards

     Thursday July 18, 2019

Reservations Closed
Course Pairing / Description Wine
Hors D’oeuvres Stuffed Grape Leaves Lobster Mousse
150 years ago, Jacob and Frederick Beringer were pioneers of a new age, making their way across the frontier to plant their first vines in Napa Valley. Today, Beringer remains true to their bold, pioneering spirit with Beringer Brothers Tequila Barrel Aged Wines. The latest varietals are aged for sixty days in charred, American oak barrels. The result: a uniquely rich, warm, and bold flavor. This Sauvignon Blanc is bursting with aromas of bright citrus, fresh herbs and a hint of vanilla cream. The palate is lush and smooth with integrated acidity, leading to a rich lasting finish. Beringer Brothers Sauvignon Blanc is picked at the peak of flavor development from top sites across California and fermented in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks. 20% of the wine is aged for 60 days in charred oak barrels which previously aged Tequila. 		Beringer Brothers Sauvignon Blanc Tequila Barrel Aged 2016
Hors D’oeuvres Stuffed Grape Leaves Lobster Mousse
150 years ago, Jacob and Frederick Beringer made their way across the frontier to plant their first vines in Napa Valley. Today, Beringer remains true to their bold, pioneering spirit with Beringer Brothers Bourbon Barrel Aged Wines. The latest varietals are aged for sixty days in charred, American oak bourbon barrels. The result: a uniquely rich, warm, and bold flavor. This wine showcases a bouquet of ripe apricot, vanilla bean and buttered toast. Creamy and mouth-coating, the palate evokes apple pie and vanilla ice cream with caramel coming through on the lingering finish. Beringer Brothers Chardonnay is picked at the peak of flavor development from top sites across California and fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks with 25% malolactic fermentation. 20% of the wine is aged for 60 days in second-pass charred American Oak barrels which previously held Bourbon. 		Beringer Brothers Bourbon Barrel Aged Chardonnay 2016
Salad Course Baby Arugula Salad with Grilled Peaches, Goat Cheese and Peach Balsamic Vinaigrette
Meaning “light” in Latin, Luminus naturally represents the radiance of this Chardonnay. Like the brightness and purity that the name conjures, Chardonnay from the Oak Knoll district is known for its uncommon focus. The Chardonnay fruit from the Big Ranch Vineyard is known for its elegance and balance and Chief Winemaker Mark Beringer has always gravitated towards this acid-driven, food-friendly style of Chardonnay. The 2016 Luminus offers generous aromas showcasing bright lemon citrus characteristics and a core of minerality. The wine is rich with robust and balanced acidity making the lemon zest and toasted hazelnut flavors pop on the palate. The wine is silky with an elegant texture and long finish. Luminus is a single-vineyard Chardonnay from Beringer’s Big Ranch Vineyard in the Oak Knoll AVA. Located on the valley floor and at the southern end of the Napa Valley, Big Ranch is an ideal location for this style of Chardonnay owing to the cooling influence of the San Pablo Bay, preserving nice acidity and minerality in the grapes. A selection of Burgundian clones that showed excellent early development provide an elegant complexity and fruit weight to the blend. The extended drought was beginning to cause real concern as the 2016 growing season kicked off, but some welcomed winter rain hinted at the relief to come. After a relatively dry January, significant rainfall came in February, along with mild temperatures. Bud break was early, but was slowed by heavy April showers. While still early by historical standards, picking began about a week later than 2015, and continued at a leisurely pace, allowing the grapes to reach full flavor maturity. A traditionally sized harvest followed the lighter showing of 2015 and the extended season helped to balance the acids and add complexity to the layers of flavors. Each Chardonnay lot was kept separate throughout the aging process. After sending the fruit directly to press, the juice was fermented in seasoned French oak barrels (45% new). The lees were stirred every other week to integrate the subtle oak notes and develop a polished texture. Winemaking is focused on showcasing the unique characteristics of Oak Knoll Chardonnay at the highest level and achieved that with the final blend made after 10 months of aging in barrels. 		Beringer Vineyards Chardonnay Luminus Oak Knoll District 2016
Lamb Course Lamb Meatballs with Minted Ricotta Drizzled with Tomato Date Sauce and Fresh Grits
Beringer Vineyards has a legacy of farming unique and important growing regions that dates back to 1876, when two brothers established the winery with a desire to make wines from Napa Valley that rivaled those produced in their homeland of Germany. That tradition continued in the 1960s with an early stake in Knights Valley and continues today with this inaugural wine from outstanding vineyard locations in California’s famed Sonoma Coast appellation. The Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir represents Beringer’s pioneering viticultural past, and its commitment to farming the best of California’s vineyards. This Beringer Sonoma Coast wine is 100% Pinot Noir and opens with beautiful and inviting aromas of red cherry, strawberry and black tea. The nose leads to a core of juicy fruit flavors where the red fruit flavors standout alongside touches of brown spice adding depth and complexity. The hallmark cool-climate structure is balanced by generous fruit and bright acidity and makes this well-rounded wine very food friendly. The Pinot Noir grapes for this wine were selected from vineyards along the Sonoma Coast region of Sonoma County. Sonoma Coast obtained its AVA status in 1985, and the area extends from San Pablo Bay in the south to the border of Mendocino County in the north. The region is unique and well-known for its cool and sometime foggy climate due to its close proximity to the Pacific Ocean. To ensure a seamless and expressive finished wine, the Pinot Noir grapes were handled extremely gently from vineyard to winery. After arriving in the winery, the grapes underwent a three-day cold soak prior to fermentation. After fermentation, the free run juice was drained and sent to barrel to complete malolactic fermentation. The wine was aged for 10 months in 100% French oak (21% new) before being assembled and bottled. 		Beringer Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate Grown Sonoma Coast 2014
Pork Course Brown Sugar Brined Pork Loin with Polenta and Roasted Vegetables
Beringer’s Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is crafted to reflect the outstanding strength of the Napa Valley appellation, but with stylistic differences from the Private Reserve – differences that highlight the range of terroir found in their Napa Valley vineyards. Possessing great structure and concentration, this wine is still immediately approachable and appealing but incredibly cellar worthy. The Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon opens with vivid aromas of fresh boysenberry and ripe, dark fruits which are accented by hints of leather and dark chocolate notes. The wine is full-bodied with a dense concentration of flavors and plush tannins that underpin the solid structure. For the 2014 blend, the largest portion came from several of the reserve vineyards; Bancroft Ranch and Steinhauer Vineyard in the Howell Mountain AVA, Marston Ranch in the Spring Mountain AVA and the St. Helena Home Vineyard in the St. Helena AVA. The blend is one that highlights the best of Napa Valley’s valley floor and mountain-top terroir. 2014 was a dream vintage for the Napa Valley along the lines of the recent outstanding vintages of 2012 and 2013. Although California’s drought brought another dry winter, the growing season started with a warm, dry spring and relatively early bud break. Summer was mild and consistent with even, warm temperatures throughout. The overall outstanding quality and fruit characteristics in this vintage will make Cabernet Sauvignon the highlight of the season. Great care was taken to retain the individual expressions of each of the vineyards in the blend by keeping each lot separate throughout fermentation and aging. This has become tradition for Beringer Cabernets and allows flexibility from a broad array of aromatic, flavor and structural components at blending time. After fermentation the lots were aged in 29 percent new French oak barrels for 20 months. Each lot was monitored closely and tasted regularly to ensure their development individually and to formulate how best to fit the lots together for the final blend. 		Beringer Vineyards Distinction Series Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2014
Dessert Course Chocolate Decadence
Beringer Vineyards has a legacy of farming unique and important growing regions that dates back to 1876. The Waymaker represents Beringer's pioneering viticultural past and its commitment to farming the best of California's vineyards. This is built to be a “grillin” wine, perfect with BBQ, ready to stand up to the more intense flavors of roasted meats and stews. Medium-bodied and juicy, the blend shows off firm tannins, accented by ripe plum, cocoa and a slightly tart but seductive mouthfeel. Camatta Hills is a 600-acre vineyard nestled among the rolling hills near the town of Paso Robles. The Cuesta Ridge coastal mountain range to the west protects the vineyard, allowing for even ripening with hot daytime temperatures balanced by cooling Pacific Ocean breezes and maritime fog in the evenings. In fact, Paso Robles has the highest diurnal range of any wine region in California - up to 50º?F - which provides Paso's trademark acidity. Camatta's incredibly chalky limestone soils lend the grapes their most distinctive characteristics. Restrictive soils and small canopies create vines that must stress themselves to reach moisture and nutrients, resulting in great flavor and tannin development. In Paso Robles, four years of drought and unseasonably cold, windy and cloudy weather in May greatly impacted berry set. This very warm year combined with the extremely small crop size prompted an early vintage start in late August. While many varietals were greatly reduced in yields, color densities are the highest seen in more than a decade and quality for the fruit that did survive in 2015 was top notch. Lots were vinified and aged separately for 17 months in seasoned French oak barrels. The foundation of Waymaker is Syrah, a varietal that demonstrates great richness and generosity from Camatta Hills. Cabernet Sauvignon comprises one-quarter of the blend and lends great depth of fruit as well as lifted spice notes. A significant portion of Petite Sirah was blended in for its aromatics and rich, inky color. 		Beringer Vineyards The Waymaker Estates Selection Paso Robles 2015