Deep ruby color; ripe dark fruit, black cherry, plum, blackberry, orange zest, blackcurrant, raspberry, oak, chocolate, violets, rose petals, tobacco, baking spices, hint of mint on the nose and palate.
Dry; firm, chewy tannins; balancing acidity (3.65 pH). Medium-plus body. BV’s flagship wine succeeds in a difficult vintage. Dry winter, cool spring—and, oh yes, the manpower effects of Covid-19 and the smoke of California wildfires. Blend of 93% cabernet sauvignon, 7% petit verdot; grapes from Rutherford Bench vineyards. In spite of the wildfires of late summer, there is no smoke taint, thanks to the Rutherford Bench being spared of direct fire and meticulous grape sorting in the winery. 14.7% ABV
Beaulieu Vineyard (BV) traces roots back more than a century. In 1900 Georges de Latour’s wife Fernande first looked upon their original Rutherford vineyard and proclaimed it a “beautiful place”—“beau lieu.” De Latour imported phylloxera-resistant rootstock from Europe to the recently phylloxera-ravaged California wine country and built his vineyards. During Prohibition, BV increased its business by selling sacramental wine to the Catholic Church.
After Prohibition repeal in 1933, Georges de Latour began research and innovation that would produce his Rutherford Estate’s finest expression. In 1938, he traveled to France and met André Tchelistcheff, famed viticulturist and enologist who instituted the philosophy of continuous innovation in vineyard and winery. When Tchelistcheff joined Beaulieu and tasted the de Latour family’s private wine—what they called “Private Reserve”—from the 1936 vintage, he insisted it be bottled and sold as the winery’s flagship. In time, Tchelistcheff became the region’s first superstar winemaker.
The international conglomerate Heublein Inc. purchased BV in 1969. RJR Nabisco acquired Heublein, then sold to Grand Metropolitan in 1987. Grand Metropolitan became Diageo in 1997 through a merger with Guinness. In 2016, Diageo sold Beaulieu Vineyard to Australian wine giant Treasury Wine Estates. The parade of owners put strains on the winery’s vision and values, but the original Rutherford-Napa vineyards continue to deliver exceptional fruit to whomever the vineyard owner may be.
Amid the ownership turbulence, winemaker Jeffrey Stambor ably carried on the Georges de Latour and Tchelistcheff legacy, also working with famed “flying winemaker” Michel Rolland. In July 2017, Stambor announced he was leaving BV. Trevor Durling became chief winemaker in 2017 with Megan Twitchell as Durling’s assistant winemaker. The 2020 effort is credited to both Durling and Twitchell.
Twitchell notes: “I feel a great sense of responsibility to ensure that the wines we’re producing today honor Beaulieu Vineyard’s storied past. We are fortunate to be working with vineyards that have been a part of the winery’s more than 100-year history, enabling us to create wines with strong lineage.” Twitchell’s management of the 2020 vintage resulted in her being named BV’s winemaker in 2021. She sums up her role: “Terroir is the greatest thing to smell in a glass of wine… our job is not to mess that up.”
Georges De Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2020: BV’s signature wine again delivers in spite of a cascade of challenges—from drought, to Covid, to wildfires. Ripe black fruit, adroit use of oak, thoughtful decisions in the winery are hallmarks of this effort each year, and 2020’s bottling is no exception. Wonderfully smooth, sophisticated with depth and velvety long finish. Pairing—grilled and roasted meats, ribeye, porterhouse, prime rib; braised short ribs; wild game, venison, duck confit. Mushroom risotto, lentil stew, eggplant parmesan. Cheese—charcuterie board with salami, prosciutto, pâté; aged cheddar, Cabot clothbound cheddar (Vermont), Pleasant Ridge Reserve (Wisconsin); aged gouda, Beemster 18-Month Age Gouda (Holland), Point Reyes Farmstead Aged Gouda (California); ossau-iraty (France); mild blue—gorgonzola dolce; piave vecchio, gruyère. Avoid soft-ripened cheeses, brie, camembert. $150-165
