Just when you think you’ve seen it all, an offer comes around that shakes the very core of your belief in the natural order of life. A long-time, highly regarded, iconic Californian estate bottle wine, Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet can be in your wine rack for $10 a bottle. This means one of two things; one is that someone will lose their job over this (don’t tell Beringer), or two, I’m going to have a lot of work fulfilling all the orders that will soon be in my mailbox. OK, no one is going to lose their job. One of the reasons we can offer prices like these is that information on my offers does not make it to Wine-searcher.com or any other outside reporting service, so our pricing is safe with our 4,000 email recipients. It does not make it back to the bean counters in California. Local distributors like this, our customers love this.

Beringer has owned and farmed its vineyards in Knights Valley since the mid-1960s and was one of the first to recognize the potential. The vineyard is located 17 miles north of the winery and features volcanic, well-drained soils perfect for growing high-quality wine. Protected from the direct influence of the Pacific Ocean, Knights Valley is the warmest of Sonoma County’s viticultural areas. Bordeaux varietals thrive on the warm days and cool nights that Knights Valley is known for. The Knights Valley designation was proudly used on a Beringer label beginning in 1974, almost ten years before it was a certified American Viticultural Area. Beringer was undoubtedly before its time to determine the quality of grapes from this relatively unknown growing region stuck on the border of Napa and Sonoma. 

Beringer may have been early, but they were not wrong about the quality of wine from Knights valley. Many notable wineries source and own vineyards there, such as Verite, Arrowood, Knights Bridge, Rodney Strong, Anakota, and Freemark Abbey. All source grapes from there are proudly designated on their label but are vinified elsewhere. There are only a few actual wineries within Knights Valley, Peter Michael being the most recognized. You may notice that all the wines that have Knights Valley on their label as the source are highly allocated and priced accordingly, $50 or more. Which makes this $10-a-bottle offer so otherworldly. 

It should not really be a surprise that Beringer has led where others have followed. They were the first in Napa to create a gravity flow winery in 1877, carved into the hills behind their property. Beringer, in those early days, shipped a lot of wine in 60-gallon barrels east to be dispensed in hotels and bars. Because of the use of all those small barrels, they found that wine aged better in those smaller containers versa the large 225-gallon barrels, which was the norm in the day. They also determined a need for cool wine barrel storage and hand-dug out caves in those hills, which led to Beringer being the first winery to use cellars and caves to store and age its wines. They were also the first to offer tours to the public in 1934, which began Napa Valley’s lucrative tourist trade beating out Disney for attendance. But I digress. And they were the first to produce wines from the Knights Valley vineyards with the vineyard source on the label. 

Knights Valley AVA has a bit of an identity crisis—it’s situated in Sonoma County but has a Napa Valley temperament. Because of its location—where the north end of Napa meets the south end of Sonoma—it has the warmest climate in Sonoma and the rocky rhyolite (volcanic) soils typical of northern Napa. Warm days are countered by cool nights in the Knights Valley region, making it a perfect site for Cabernet Sauvignon. Beringer planted vineyards in the area as far back as 1960, and it’s a wonder that since then, only 2,000 acres of the total 37,000 acres have come under vine. I visited Beringer a while back, and they gave us a ride to Knights Valley. Wedged south of Alexander Valley, east of Chalk Hill, Sonoma, and north of Calistoga, Napa, Knights Valley is out there were busses don't go. Sonoma County’s highest mountain, ancient volcanic Mount Saint Helena, towers over Knights Valley. The only practical access to the valley is via twisty sections of Highway 128 through mountainous terrain. Suddenly the road straightens out in a high valley, bordered by stately oaks draped with Spanish moss. No wineries, no tourists, and few buildings; just a magical source for grapes. Did I already mention that most Knights Valley designated wines are priced well over $50 a bottle, and Beringer’s 2019 Knights Cabernet, a 90 pt Wine Advocate wine, can be yours for $10 a bottle? Sorry to keep repeating this point; it’s like pinching myself to ensure this is real.

This crowd-pleasing Cabernet Sauvignon is a beautiful Bordeaux blend with soft, round tannins and a plush, rich mouthfeel. Built to age and develop further complexity, the wine in its youth is ripe and juicy upfront with aromas of fresh boysenberry, blackberry, and cassis, alongside dark berry fruit notes of fig, black cherry cola, and currants. The warm baking spice notes from the oak integration work well with the more traditional Knights Valley tones of lavender, wild sage, and mocha. Lively and well-balanced with vibrant acidity, chewy tannins, and a long, smooth, satisfying finish.

87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec, 1% Petit Verdot

This is really focused, with brightness to the sweet tobacco and berries. Medium-bodied with bright acidity, finesse, and drinkability. Very fine. Ripe-currant center-palate. 87% cabernet sauvignon, 8% merlot, 2% cabernet franc, 2% malbec and 1% petit verdot. Drink or hold. James Suckling 94 pts

This dark ruby-colored Cabernet Sauvignon opens with a fragrant black currant and boysenberry bouquet with hints of florals, craisin, and oak. On the palate, this wine is medium-bodied with medium acidity. The mouthfeel is round, balanced, and very juicy. The flavor profile is a black currant and boysenberry blend with notes of graphite. We also detected hints of oak and ripe black cherry in the aftertaste. The finish is dry, and its moderate dusty tannins are quite extended and sticky. Ken’s Wine guide 92 pts

There were more than 160,000 cases of the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley produced, so it’s good to see that it is performing well. There’s an attractive floral top note that adds a touch of complexity to the cassis fruit, while the medium to full-bodied palate is silky and even elegant. It’s a better wine—and far better value—than many entry-level wines sourced from Napa Valley. Wine Advocate 90 pts

Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019  

We tasted this wine, and I can tell you there were no surprises, complex dark fruit, cassis, blackberry, some coffee or tea, and moderate tannins balanced by some acid. A delicious $30 bottle of wine at $20 is a steal; at $10, it is insane. Come to find out, when the next shipment comes from the winery next month, Beringer is taking a price increase on this wine to $35 a bottle. Stop the insanity. I never want to say ‘never,’ but I think it is fair to say you will never be able to buy this 90-point Parker wine again for $10. I am also pretty sure you will not want to let this one go by without acting on it. I am also pretty sure there will be many of you researching more addresses to use to send extra MIR from, not that I am condoning that.

Regular Price: $29.99

*Sale price is on 6 or more bottles

$60 Mail In Rebate on six bottles

Limit one MIR per household

Final cost is $10 a bottle (not a typo)

Wine is packed in a 12-bottle case