I’ve seen it from the road many times, but I have never stopped. Nothing about the older wineries really interested so I stuck with the smaller or cult wineries. Those wineries were fun and I got some nice wine. My rule was never to buy wine toward the end of my touring. It always tastes great at the end of the day, but not always after you get it home.

Now I have a new appreciation for the older, established wineries. You know what you’re getting with each and every bottle, and you can buy anytime of day.

Our tour of Beringer was awesome. We signed up for the Legacy Tour and arrived at 10:45 to sign in for our 11 am tour. There were about 12 of us on the tour. Our tour guide Michael was very friendly and obviously knowledgeable. We started out walking around the grounds. The Rhine house was closed for renovation but that just gives us an excuse to come back.

We enjoyed a reserve Chardonnay (2006 Private Reserve) while we walked to the vineyard; what a wonderful experience sipping wine while standing in a vineyard. We learned about the vines, how they were coming out of dormancy and how they control birds from eating the grapes. We also learned about a number of green initiatives in the winery. Try this food and wine pairing recipe.

We then moved toward the tunnels that were dug by the Beringer Brothers. We saw their personal cellar, now untouched and saved…… And we tried a barrel tasting of the 2006 Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. It was fascinating tasting a young wine and the tannins that weren’t quite ready. We followed that up with 2 other cabernets and we really enjoyed the 2004 Private Reserve Napa Valley Cab. They recommend you try this with this food and wine pairing recipe.

Lastly we had a dessert wine; the 2004 Nightingale. I was blown away. It is a late-harvest dessert wine that blends the grapes of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. It has aromas of apricot preserve, crème bruleè and honey. The first sip is pleasant but with the second (and other) sips you begin to taste the rich flavors of butterscotch, fruit and spice as they coat your mouth and linger for a long finish. Pair this with a cheese course or rich dessert. You can't go wrong as Nightingale is a wonderful way to end a meal.

I’m looking forward to the dinner I have scheduled with my Dad and brothers in a few weeks. It’s at a steak house and I’m going to bring two bottles of the Single Vineyard (Bancroft Ranch) Cabernet Sauvignon we also bought. I can’t imagine anything on a wine list better to have than this wine and I’ll happily pay a corkage fee so I can enjoy this great food and wine pairing.