eringer winemaker Laurie Hook was in Michigan during the second week of February to promote six selections from the venerable Napa Valley producer, including first showings of the '03 Napa Chardonnay, '01 Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and '01 Bancroft Merlot, and one of her stops was for a luncheon at Forté Restaurant, in Birmingham, MI. Ms. Hook, now in her 19th year at Beringer, attends to the day - to - day operations, consulting closely with the legendary Ed Sbragia, who now holds the position of Winemaster. She led us through each selection, commenting on specifics of the wines and answering any questions that those in attendance had.

We sipped on some Sauvignon Blanc before being seated for lunch.

2002 Beringer Napa Sauvignon Blanc, $12.99, 13.8% alc.: Sourced mostly from Beringer's vineyards in the warmer regions north of Oakville, this pale gold includes 16% Semillon, and it seems to be reflected in the personality of the wine, adding a note of melon to the bright pear, canned peas and asparagus flavors and aromas, almost at the expense of more typical Sauvignon characteristics. With rich, not quite sweet fruit, and enough acidity to work well with food, or just sip on its own; "J.T." Tibus commented that it shows "hints of grassiness, rather than piles." 70% of the wine was fermented in stainless steel, while the other 30% went into older French oak barrels; this saw no malolactic fermentation. Atypical it may be, and not necessarily my cup of tea, but having said that, it ain't bad juice.

The next two selections were enjoyed with a plate of smoked salmon, crème freche, sliced pear and manchego cheese.

2003 Beringer Napa Chardonnay, $15.99, 13.9% alc.: 85% of this was fermented in French oak, a little less than 30% of which was new, and that fact certainly shines through in the bright, distinctive pear, pineapple and tropical fruit flavors and aromas. Rich, almost sweet and very much in the signature Beringer style, this develops just a hint of something like asparagus as it opens, and shows a long finish and even more prominent acidity than the Sauvignon Blanc; J.T. liked the fact that it's "not a giant vanilla bean monster," and so do I. Laurie explained that the wine is blended from Carneros, Napa and Yountville fruit, which contribute mineral, apple and tropical fruit characteristics respectively to the wine; she added that this is the first Beringer Napa Chardonnay to see stainless steel (15%). The best Beringer Napa Chard I've had in many a moon, the wine has a certain elegance, and works well with the food pairing, making for a solid glass of wine with good QPR (Quality - Price Ratio).

2003 Beringer Napa Pinot Noir, $15.99, 14.1% alc.: This clean ruby dark garnet colored Pinot Noir, the first from Beringer bearing the "Napa" designation, spent ten months in small Burgundian barrels, 32 % of which was new, and thus, the oak influence is understated, letting the smoky black cherry and plum flavors and aromas express themselves nicely, with just a hint of chocolate; J.T. mentioned a little rhubarb as well. With a smooth texture, ripe tannins, good acidity and some minerality on the medium finish, this would probably benefit from an hour in a decanter before drinking, or even short term cellaring, but on this occasion, showed well poured straight out of the bottle. Another good QPR here, this was sourced from younger vines at Beringer's Big Ranch Road Vineyard, just north of the town of Napa.