96 Robert Parker - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve is built from completely different sources. Sixty-six percent came from the St. Helena Home Ranch, 18% from the Chabot Vineyard, and the rest from Beringer's estates in St. Helena, Rutherford and Coombsville. It is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that came in at 14.6% natural alcohol with a pH of 3.8. Perhaps the greatest Beringer Private Reserve since the 2007, 2005, 2002 and 2001, the 2010 offers up notes of lead pencil shavings, creme de cassis, subtle smoke, wet rocks and background oak. Full-bodied, rich and impressive, it can be drunk now or cellared for two decades."

"Despite the enormity of this enterprise (multiple wineries and a global network), the flagship estate in northern California, Beringer Vineyards, continues to be in very capable winemaking hands, and the quality of the wines remains exceptionally impressive, particularly when you look at some of the huge production numbers of their lower priced offerings. The red wines currently in the market are from the challenging 2011 vintage. As for the Private Reserve Cabernets, production can vary significantly depending on the vintage, from around 8,000 cases to nearly twice that in an abundant year. As for the single vineyard wines, I will keep my notes short as these are only available to members of the Beringer Wine Club. I was surprised by how strongly all these 2011s performed, but three of the single vineyards are on Howell Mountain. These are all excellent wines, but it seems to me that the Private Reserve, a blend of the best lots from these sources, always turns out to be Beringer's finest Cabernet Sauvignon." (10/13)

95 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

"The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve is showing beautifully today. Plums, black cherries, smoke and graphite all explode from the glass in a huge, dramatic Private Reserve built for the cellar. The full-throttle 2010 covers every inch of the palate with fabulous depth and richness. The 2010 is going to require patience, but it is striking, even today. Home Vineyard is the core site in the 2010, followed by Chabot, Morisoli, Tournahu and Verhey. The 2010 spent 18 months in French oak barrels, 93% new." (11/13)

94 Wine Spectator

"A dense, rich and powerful expression of Cabernet, with loads of dark berry, loamy earth and crushed rock flavors that show pockets of black licorice, road tar and dried flowers, ending with rich, chewy tannins that give the lingering flavors traction. Should be long-lived. Best from 2015 through 2028. 5,446 cases made. -JL" (10/13)

93+ Stephen Tanzer - Vinous Media

"Good bright medium ruby. Blackberry, bitter chocolate and licorice aromas and flavors are complemented by sexy new oak. Lush, deep and densely packed, with a retrained sweetness that's not yet showing in a few of Beringer's 2010 vineyard-designated cabernets. But this tactile, chewy wine finishes with plenty of tannic clout for aging. This is every bit as backward today as the Chabot." (06/13)