Benziger
Benziger Winery was founded in 1980 when brothers Bob and Joe Benziger sold their upscale wine shop in Scarsdale, NY to venture out west and start producing wine of their own. Their brother Mike and his wife Mary had purchased their first vineyard a few years prior, and shortly thereafter the entire Benziger family came to join the newly found Sonoma winery. After years of using standard farming practices, the Benzigers noticed the land was not as fertile as it once was. In the mid 1990s, Benziger Vineyards became one of the pioneers in the California sustainable farming movement transforming to a fully biodynamic and certified organic winery according to our Benziger wine reviews. Today, Benziger wines are produced from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and a handful of other varieties. However it is their top tier Cabernet Sauvignon based blends that are consistently found atop our Benziger wine ratings. Check out our Benziger wine guide below to see which wines are right for you.
Showing 1 thru -9 of 90
Benziger 2002 Tribute Red (Sonoma Mountain)
- Editors' Choice
- $65
Benziger pulls out all the stops on this estate, Cabernet-based Bordeaux blend, from their hilly vineyard above Glen Ellen. It’s a beautiful effort. The flavors are very close to Napa Cab, namely deliciously sweet cassis, roasted coffee and cocoa, but there’s a tannin and acid structure that in some respects outclasses even Napa’s most prestigious chateaus. This is…
— S.H.
(12/1/2005)
Benziger 2004 Shone Farm Sauvignon Blanc (Russian River Valley)
- Editors' Choice
- $27
No oak in this wine, but it’s amazingly rich anyway. The wine is very dry, with Meyer lemon flavors boosted by a firm minerality and rich acidity. Absolutely defines the unoaked style of Sauvignon Blanc.
— S.H.
(8/1/2006)
Benziger 2005 Tribute Red (Sonoma Mountain)
- Cellar Selection
- $80
Softly lush, complex in flavor, this Cabernet-based Bordeaux blend impresses with power and authority. Thoroughly dry and firm in tannins, it shows classic flavors of black currants and cedar, with intricate notes of cherries, violets, tobacco, mocha and beef jerky. Beautiful now, and should develop for a decade.
— S.H.
(12/31/2008)
Benziger 2001 Tribute Red (Sonoma Mountain)
- Cellar Selection
- $65
Made from biodynamically grown estate grapes, this Cabernet-based wine is as massive as any I’ve tasted from this great vintage. It’s like drinking liquid steel, with deep, ripe flavors of blackcurrants, chocolate and cherries, and plenty of new oak. Despite the size, the texture is gentle and velvety, but it’s an ager if you want. Now through 2015.
— W.E.
(4/1/2005)
Benziger 2008 de Coelo Terra Neuma Vineyard Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast)
- Cellar Selection
- $69
A very refined Pinot Noir, high-toned and elegant, with alcohol well below 14%. There’s no lack of richness. The wine bursts with cherries, rhubarbs, pomegranates, cola and raspberries, wrapped into a silky texture, and finishing long and spicy. A shame to drink now. Should develop bottle complexity over the next 6–8 years.
— S.H.
(5/1/2011)
Benziger 2008 Tribute Red (Sonoma Mountain)
- Cellar Selection
- $80
Mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine was grown on the warmer slopes of Sonoma Mountain, a less known but respected part of Sonoma County. It’s dry and firm in tannins, with rich flavors of blackberries, currants, mocha and oak. Flashy and delicious now, it should gain in the bottle over the next six years.
— S.H.
(12/1/2011)
Benziger 2005 Paradiso de Maria Sauvignon Blanc (Sonoma Mountain)
- $29
Brilliantly sharp, penetrating Sauvignon. Opens with intense aromas of gooseberry, grapefruit juice, lime, apricot, tart green apple and white pepper, leading to a rich, very dry, high-acid wine of great depth, charm and complexity. From the cool, long vintage of 2005, it is simply great Sauvignon Blanc.
— S.H.
(9/1/2006)
Benziger 2002 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma County)
- $45
This is really a first-class Cabernet showing not only the beauty of the vintage but the blender’s craft. Drinkable now for its finely grained tannins and refined black currant and cassis flavors, it has the dry balance for the cellar. Elegant and sophisticated, it’s best now through 2008.
— S.H.
(4/1/2007)
Showing 1 thru -9 of 90
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2010 Center of Effort
A big, strong Pinot with pure, focused flavors of raspberry cream…
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