Since the ‘70s, the Beringer Vineyards—a pride of the Napa Valley—has been under the care of a series of exemplary chief winemakers outside the Beringer family. It was bought by Nestlé in 1971 and had Myron Nightingale at the winery’s helm. But with the turn of events, it was turned over to Treasury Wines Estates in 2011 and eventually a direct descendant of its first chief winemaker made his way back home.

Mark Beringer

Mark Beringer, Chief Winemaker of Beringer Vineyards since 2015, recounts his journey back home and shares interesting notes on some of the winery’s premier labels.

Philippine Tatler: What made you come back to the Beringer Vineyards? After all it has been a long time since the Beringer family led the business.

Mark Beringer: It was a combination of factors. One, I was feeling that my job has run its course. I felt that I wasn’t challenged anymore. I wanted to do something different. That same time I was talking to some people and saying ‘hey, I couldn’t wait for a change’. And so the word reached some people in Beringer and many didn’t know that there was a Beringer [descendant] around. Funny, Laurie Hook, the chief winemaker at that time, was also looking for something else to do. Then there was a guy working in Beringer that I knew of and worked with in the past and he recommended me to them. The time worked for the both of us.

Mark was the great-great-grandson of the winery’s founding brother Jacob Beringer. As the direct descendant to Beringer’s first winemaker and one of the most iconic family names in Napa Valley wine history, he knew from a young age that he would follow the footsteps of his ancestors. 

The historic Rhine House of Beringer Vineyards

PT: What made you fall in love with wine and the winemaking business?

MB: In most jobs, you do the same things over and over again. But with wines, there is variety as well as seasons for each process. First in the growing season, you tend the vines until you harvest the crops. Then, in the blending season, you blend those wines to become the finish product and then bottle them. Then the other side of business comes in, which is distributing and promoting the wines, on which I was introduced at a young age.

He spent many hours working in his family’s wine store in St. Helena in Napa Valley as a stock clerk and maximised his time in expanding his knowledge of wine as well as gaining an appreciation for wines outside of Napa Valley. Eventually, he spent summers working at Raymond Vineyard until he graduated from California State University in Fresno with a degree Oenology.

PT: Which type of wine do you relate yourself?

MB: Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. It takes a lot of meticulous work in the fields. You have to take the grapes from many different vineyards. You take all those components and bring them together and then use it to make something bigger—just like in growing as a human being. You get to take knowledge from other people and fields and try to apply them on your own experience. You know the idea is also to have some sense of longevity, not only in life but also in your viability in this business, and I hope to have a long time in this business.

Although Mark only started in Beringer Vineyards in 2015, succeeding another esteemed chief winemaker Laurie Hook, he has already made a name in the wine world. His stint at Duckhorn, Napa Valley as Vice President of Winemaking has helped the winery’s 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon earn the number 6 spot in Wine Spectator’s Wine of the Year. 

PT: What is your winemaking philosophy?

MB: We use traditional methods to make the wines. Also, we utilise modern technology like the stainless steel stills. But I’m also using oak in the fermentation process and then every single wine we make, we separate them in various components. Each came from different parts of the vineyard and has undergone different fermentation process, some are added more yeast. And so when I sit down on the blending table a year and a half later, I have all these bottles I have to taste and try like a chef. I’m taking the components and try to improve the wine and blend it. Some we’ll keep, some will be discarded, in order to make the best wine possible.

PT: What is the main thrust of Beringer?

MB: I think the long history of the winery. The vineyard is 140 years old and yet it has improved its technology over the years and even survived the Prohibition Era. Definitely it has been consistent in its passion for quality and innovation. Also in Beringer, my team and I create wines not as business but as something we love to do. As a work of passion, we did not just buy a very expensive piece of land, create a product and make a profit out of it. We’re making great wines for the price that everyone can afford. And they will expect consistent excellent quality.  

PT: What are your plans for Beringer?

MB: The key is to maintain the consistency and quality established over the century. So what I am doing now is looking back on previous winemakers, why they did this and that and try to build from it as foundation. I can’t come in and just make some changes. The brand is too successful. The wines are too good and in high quality, too consistent. So the key is to learn from the foundation first and play around it.  

Now, we try to experiment. We try to imitate the varieties in quality (originally achieved through the unpredictable weather and sun heat) through modern technology and then manipulate it to create some unique blends.

In 2004, Beringer entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for creating the largest bottle of wine. A 130-litre bottle of the 2001 Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, christened as ‘Maximus’, was auctioned at a charity event for 55,812 US Dollars. Meanwhile, let’s take a look at some of the winery’s stellar vintages.

Beringer Founders’ Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2014

MB: Has a wonderfully refreshing grapefruit flavour that is enhanced with intense citrus, ripe stone fruit, and white fig. The wine finishes with a clean grassy note and crisp acidity making it a perfect match with grilled fish. 

Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay 2013

MB: It emerges from Gamble Ranch in Oakville. Classy, polished, and restrained, the 2013 is absolutely superb. Above all else, the 2013 is a wine of finesse. Amazingly sophisticated, the 2013 Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay has all the tools to go the distance. Super rich, yet incredibly refined, the wine exhibits brilliant and alluring ripe core fruit and creamy flavours; layered, lush, and built on the palate. Lots to love now and more to love with bottle age. 

Beringer Founders’ Estate Pinot Noir 2014

MB: Bright ruby in colour and displays ripe currant flavours rounded out by aromas of cedar and spice. This wine has immediate fruit-forward flavours that balances well with the toasty smokiness of the oak. Pair this wine with a red wine risotto or grilled salmon. 

Beringer Napa Valley Merlot 2014

MB: The Merlot has lush red and blue fruits highlighted by hints of toffee, dark cherry, and chocolate mint. This fleshy wine offers dark plum, black currant, and mocha notes accented by fine tannins. This is an aromatic, inviting wine. This wine is brimming with plum, blackberry, and sweet vanilla aromas. The flavours are equally rich black cherry, bittersweet chocolate, and a hint of smoke. The tannins are dense, and the finish is supple despite the heft and complexity of the wine overall. 

Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

MB: For all its plumpness, this feels sophisticated, its sense of fatness coming from abundant, perfectly ripe tannins rather than jammy, overripe fruit. Its clean, dark berry flavours are harmonious and lasting, the structure seeming at one moment supple and easy, at the next more deep and stony. The 2013 Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is opulent but structured, this versatile wine has supple blue and black fruit notes accented by dark chocolate, roasted coffee and a silky, lingering finish. 

Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

MB: This one is built from completely different sources. 66 per cent came from the St. Helena Home Ranch, 18 per cent from the Chabot Vineyard, and the rest from Beringer’s estates in St. Helena, Rutherford and Coombsville. It is 100 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon that came in at 14.6 per cent natural alcohol with a pH of 3.8. Perhaps the greatest Beringer Private Reserve. The 2010 offers notes of lead pencil shavings, crème de cassis, subtle smoke, wet rocks, and background oak. Full-bodied, rich, and impressive, it can be drunk now or cellared for two decades.