When I was in northern California the week before Thanksgiving, the rumors that were swirling about the impending sale of Beringer by its international corporate owner, Nestle, to an investment consortium proved true when the sale was announced. Let's hope the new owners maintain the status quo, as Beringer has had an exceptional run of highly successful wines since the mid-eighties. Considering the diversity of wines produced, I would be hard pressed to single out another winery that has enjoyed as much success as Beringer has over the last decade. With the exception of a chunky, overly-oaked Pinot Noir, it is impossible to find anything less than top-flight at Beringer, with many of the firm's wines undeniably special. Readers with a sweet tooth will get plenty of thrills from the 1993 Johannisberg Riesling, a Trockenbeerenauslese-styled wine. This huge, unctuous, thick, botrytised Riesling possesses 30% residual sugar and 8% alcohol. This nectar is oozing with smells and flavors of apricots, peaches, and honey. Beringer has once again proven that they are one of the qualitative leaders in California as they continue to turn out reference point wines - not only for California, but the world.