1980 Beringer - Cabernet Sauvignon Lemmon-Chabot Vineyards Private Reserve

(12.9% alcohol; the last vintage made entirely from Lemmon-Chabot; harvested on October 7): Medium-deep reddish-brown, with a developed rim. Dark berries, mint and eucalyptus on the nose, plus hints of herbs and spiced pastry. Mellow aromas of mocha, brown spices and leather. Broad, sweet and spicy, showing a note of fig and slightly spiky acidity. Not quite as harmonious as the 1978 but a good effort from a cooler season that began with a rainy spring. Incidentally, Beringer did not make a Private Reserve in 1979 as the vines shut down in extreme summer heat and the grapes never ripened properly.