Beringer Brothers Chardonnay Bourbon Barrel Aged 2016

 

Beringer Brothers Chardonnay Bourbon Barrel Aged 2016 (SKU 233513, $22.99 tax included)

I was visiting the Alberni and Bute store to buy some wine when I saw four boxes of this wine sitting in the corner. When I asked the staff what the price was, they had to open a box and scanned a bottle to give me the price. I recalled that the Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay was a very good wine, so I thought I would try this offering at a more affordable price. The wine was aged in Bourbon oak barrels for sixty days to give it more flavour. When opened, the bouquet was pleasantly fruity. The body was medium to full since it was a Chardonnay. The palate showed some fruits like apricot and pear. The finish was medium. I tasted it with some home cooked halibut and it went well. I also took it to a Chinese restaurant and tasted it with my tasting panel. They all like the pleasant taste and thought it went well with a Chinese meal. It was not too dry, so it was easy to appreciate. The alcohol content was 14.5%. For this price, this would be a great daily white wine to compliment any fish or chicken dish. There is ample stock in the LDB stores.

Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2014

Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2014 (SKU 836759, WS 93 pts, $74.72 tax included) I was visiting a friend living in West Vancouver and was early, so I dropped by the Park Royal LDB store. I had my eyes on this Sonoma reserve wine. Normally Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon was better than Sonoma Valley ones. The exception was Beringer Knights Valley. In previous tastings, the regular version almost tasted like a reserve wine and had always been on my watch list. This reserve wine was listed at $10 off, so I jumped on it and brought a few bottles home. I tasted it with some barbeque beef ribs and chicken. The nose was full and the palate was luscious. I tasted a lot of dark berries and chocolate and my tasting panel tasted plum. The impressive feature was the wine tasted very consistent from start to finish. It was like a horse race where the winner led from the start gate all the way to the finish line. The finish was very long. Wine Spectator recommended drinking between 2018 to 2032. So this one was definitely destined for my cellar for medium term storage. Similar quality Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wine probably would cost at least twice the price. So this would be a great wine to put away to celebrate some of life's milestone events. The LDB website listed the 2015 vintage but I actually bought the 2014 at the Park Royal store. It does not matter which vintage you find since both are rated at 93 points by Wine Spectator. It is on sale until September 5, 2020. There is limited stock at the Alberni and Bute LDB store and lots of stock in Park Royal.