Napa Valley Royalty Beaulieu Vineyards Georges De Latour PR Cab 2021 Wine #2 in the Wine Spectators Top 100 on SALE!!
“No thing more excellent nor more valuable than wine was ever granted mankind by God.” – Plato c. 429-347 B.C. Greek Philosopher
The Wine Spectator Top 100 is one of the most coveted of all the top 100 lists in the wine business and their #1 wine usually sells out in retail stores a few hours after it is announced. Sometimes the rest of the list gets overlooked even wine #2. When people ask me what to buy from Napa Valley I always say look to the older wineries that have been around for a long time as they have owned the dirt when it was cheap and can afford to make better wines at a more reasonable price than the new producers. Beaulieu Vineyards was started in 1900 by Georges de Latour and this wine has been made every year since 1936 making it the longest running wine label produced in Napa Valley.
This wine was made famous by the legendary Andre Tchelistcheff, a Russian immigrant with a name that still confounds connoisseurs. He had studied enology in Paris and was summoned to America in the late thirties to make wine for the family of Georges de Latour in Rutherford, California.
Today the legacy of Andre Tchelistcheff lives on at Beaulieu Vineyard and the current winemaker is Trevor Durling. Trevor presides as only the fifth winemaker in the winery’s 125-year history. It is this consistency that has made this iconic wine one of the best in Napa Valley and you can get it for $159.50 a bottle on this offering!
Wine Spectator Wine #2 in the Top 100 list for 2024!!
2021 Beaulieu Vineyard BV Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
Price: $187.50 Your Price: $159.50 Quantity in Stock: 24
(98 Points) What a spectacular showing of this iconic wine in the terrific 2021 vintage. Deep ruby with a purple hue, it just exudes elegance and statesmanship. It has a noble quality to it that begins with its precise and lifted bouquet of dried rose petals, kirsch, Blackberry, and cassis fruit interlaced with sagebrush, sandalwood, and toasty cedarwood. Perfectly medium to full-bodied, showcasing a dazzling spectrum of silken red and black fruits redolent of strawberry, cherry, plum, and blackberry atop a substantial bed of taut, mineral-tinged tannins. A spine of racy acidity lifts the panoply of fruit, and the finish reveals a plethora of wild herbs, cast iron notes, pastille, and white pepper, nuanced by rich, toasty oak infused with toffee and vanilla bean. It is one of the most satisfying and immediately enjoyable expressions of the Georges de Latour Private Reserve in the last decade. Produced by Trevor Durling, the fourth winemaker to follow in the footsteps of the great André Tchelistcheff. (JC) Review Date: 04/2024 Decanter
Wine Spectator Wine #2 in the Top 100 for 2024!!
(95 Points) Beaulieu Vineyard’s Georges de Latour has a long history, dating to its inaugural vintage of 1936. De Latour himself hired the legendary André Tchelistcheff as winemaker in 1938; Tchelistcheff would go on to steward the bottling for the next 35 years. Select vintages from his tenure across the 1950s, ’60s and early ’70s are considered benchmark wines for California Cabernet. After a rocky period through the 1980s and ’90s, BV is enjoying a renaissance, with a new winery built in 2008 and additional investment after the winery was acquired by Treasury Wine Estates in 2016. Winemaker Trevor Durling was hired in 2017 and hit a high note with this classic-rated 2021 in a superb vintage. Wine Spectator
Older Vintages of George De Latour on SALE!!
2018 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
Price: $180.00 Your Price: $158.40 Quantity in Stock: 1
(96 Points) The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve Georges de Latour is a blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec. Deep garnet-purple in color, it prances out of the glass with flamboyant scents of blackberry preserves, wild blueberries and crème de cassis, followed by hints of cigar box, Chinese five spice and pencil shavings with a waft of menthol. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a solid structure of firm grainy tannins and seamless freshness supporting the muscular black fruit, finishing long and earthy. End of November 2021, The Wine Advocate
2011 Beaulieu Vineyard BV Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
Price: $129.00 Your Price: $113.52 Quantity in Stock: 3
(92 Points) The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve is a very beautiful wine for the vintage. It retains terrific depth and tons of freshness. The 2011 won't always be this expressive or giving, so I would choose to drink any remaining bottles sooner rather than later. Even so, the 2011 has aged quite well. Crushed flowers, spice, menthol, leather and dried red cherry fruit. Tasted from magnum. (AG) Review Date: 10/2021 Vinous
2001 Beaulieu Vineyards Georges De Latour Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
Price: $170.00 Sale Price: $125.00 Quantity in Stock: 26
(93 points) "The 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve Georges de Latour was made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged for 22 months in oak barrels, 76% new, 57% French and 43% American. Medium to deep garnet-brick in color, the nose slowly unfurls to reveal baked blackcurrants, stewed plums and dried mulberries with touches of dried leaves, pencil lead, cigar box and beef drippings. Medium-bodied with an alcohol of 13.6% and a pH of 3.9 (suggesting relatively low acidity), the tannins are ripe, firm and velvety textured, framing tons of black fruit preserves flavors and savory nuances, finishing on a lingering menthol note. Still packing plenty of fruit, while this is drinking beautifully now there is no rush to drink. (LPB) (5/2019) Wine Advocate
1976 Beaulieu Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve George de Latour Napa
Price: $350.00 Your Price: $308.00 Quantity in Stock: 1
1973 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
Price: $330.00 Sale Price: $260.00 Quantity in Stock: 3
A bit about Beaulieu Vineyards:
He was a Russian immigrant with a name that still confounds connoisseurs. He had studied enology in Paris and was summoned to America in the late thirties to make wine for the family of Georges de Latour in Rutherford, California. Nobody could know then the profound impact that this man, Andre Tchelistcheff, would have on the future course of the California wine industry.
Four decades earlier in 1900 the de Latours founded the winery they named Beaulieu (beautiful place), and it flourished during the early part of the century. In order to prevent the complete collapse of the winery during Prohibition, Monsieur de Latour made sacramental wines at BV. (Sometime in the early history of Beaulieu the name as additionally abbreviated "BV" to accommodate an American public which had difficulty pronouncing French words.) After repeal de Latour concentrated on returning the winery to its former status; and before he died in 1940, he committed the land directly across from the winery to producing the finest Cabernet possible. In his honor the wine made there was called Georges de Latour Private Reserve.
Winemaker Tcheltistcheff knew what great wine this small vineyard was capable of producing. Immediately after Prohibition, the Cabernets from this select plot were sold to Californians as simple jug "Burgundy"; at that time no sophisticated audience of wine lovers existed. However, Andre set out to create one. Although practically nobody else in California was doing so, he insisted on aging red wines in small oak barrels. This is viewed by many historical observers of the scene as one of his greatest contributions to California wine. (It was American oak, however, and it is still preferred to this day at BV over the more subtle, less aggressive French oak.) Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon first appeared on the American market with the 1936 vintage. It was a benchmark occasion for California wine, for it was the first post-Prohibition attempt at producing a premium varietal at what was in those days a very premium price. It is interesting to note that the 1936 BV Reserve sold for $8.50 a case when it was released in 1939 and could still be purchased in 1955 for $1 per bottle!! Tchelistcheff went on to make many more innovative technological contributions to the California wine industry; he officially retired in 1972. Since Tchelistcheff's "retirement" he has consulted to dozens of wineries. Today, in his eighties, Andre Tchelistcheff is revered as the "father of the modern California wine industry."
As the wine from the Georges de Latour Vineyard grew famous, Beaulieu became known as the "royal house of Napa" - crosstown rival Inglenook notwithstanding. American Presidents always served BV Private Reserves to visiting dignitaries in the fifties and the sixties. Some older vintages of the Private Reserve have become legendary and demand prices in auctions approaching those of the Grand Crus of Bordeaux (the great 1936 BV Reserve now commands over $2000/bottle). With the proliferation of a number of great Cabernet producers in the 1970's, BV lost its unquestioned leadership. Some maintain that BV continued to make great wines and that the winery was simply overlooked as trendy connoisseurs sought out the hottest new boutiques.
BV has a strong history of growing grapes on some of the best sites in Napa Valley. Beginning in 1904, Georges de Latour propelled this wine growing region onto the world stage with his first vineyard purchase in Rutherford - known as BV Ranch #1. Today, with more than 1,100 acres of estate vineyards and long-term relationships with our grower partners, Beaulieu Vineyard is the largest producer of Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa Valley. We focus on combining our long term knowledge of each vineyard with extensive research on clones, trellising styles, and viticultural techniques. The results are finely tuned growing practices for each location that produce the absolute highest quality grapes.
Today the legacy of Andre Tchelistcheff lives on at Beaulieu Vineyard but the current winemaker is Trevor Durling. Trevor presides as only the fifth winemaker in the winery’s 125-year history. A native Californian, Trevor was raised in Sonoma County, the heart of Northern California’s wine country. With a love of agriculture, science and cuisine, Trevor pursued his studies at the University of California Davis in the Viticulture and Enology program. As winemaker at Beaulieu Vineyard, Trevor incorporates his passion for creating fine wines, while preserving the heritage and legacy of Beaulieu Vineyard.
The rest of the Beaulieu Vineyards wines in the store on SALE!!
2023 BEAULIEU VINEYARDS SAUVIGNON BLANC NAPA
Price: $33.00 Your Price: $29.04 Quantity in Stock: 2
Our inaugural release of this Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc is a beautiful expression from vines located within the heart of the valley, offering fragrant notes of Meyer lemon, white peach, orange blossom, and bright pineapple, alongside more subtle oak notes of brioche toast and marzipan. The palate provides a focused mouthfeel up front, bursting with ripe citrus fruits, lasting in length, finishing round and rich with a luscious core of depth, vibrancy, and persistence. Extremely balanced and pleasing, this Sauvignon Blanc is crisp and lively with mouthwatering character, inviting sip after sip.
2020 BEAULIEU VINEYARDS CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA
Price: $37.50 Your Price: $33.00 Quantity in Stock: 11
83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Charbono, 4% Petite Sirah, 3% Merlot, 2% Touriga Nacional, 2% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec
Tasting Notes: From Calistoga in the north to Carneros in the south, our Beaulieu Vineyard Napa Valley wines reflect this region's diverse terroir with classic varietal character. The 2020 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a dark burgundy, russet-red color with beautiful depth and richness. The bouquet is soft and alluring with aromas of red currant, raspberry, Bing cherry and cassis alongside mulled wine holiday spice notes. The palate is plush and inviting with ripe red berries, cherry compote and raspberry preserves supported by silky voluminous tannins and a mouthcoating texture that provides a lovely weight, finishing round and sumptuous. Darker tones of blackberry, acai berry, and dark plum, come through on the lengthy finish, while more subtle notes of violet, crushed red rose petal, and black pepper spice (a nod to the well-integrated oak) accompany the fresh acidity, finishing dry and pleasing. This is a wine with universal appeal, sure to pair alongside a variety of cuisines, offering the perfect balance, complexity, and elegance that Napa Cabernet offers.
2018 Beaulieu Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Napa
Price: $84.00 Your Price: $73.92 Quantity in Stock: 4
Tasting Note This inaugural 2018 Rutherford Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is the epitome of the finest expression of our western Rutherford bench-land terroir, exhibiting an intense saturation of color, aromas and flavors. The expressive perfumed bouquet leaps from the glass with exuberant dark berry fruits. Notes of blackberry, black currant, black forest cake and Crème de cassis sit alongside floral violet, rose petal, rosemary and bay laurel, while lifted baking spice notes from the well-integrated oak barrel character, shows nuances of cedar, cinnamon, clove and caramel. On the palate, there is juicy, saturated black cherry, macerated red raspberry, supported by darker hints of espresso, mocha and bittersweet chocolate. The structured “Rutherford dust” tannins are full of grip and plushness, showcasing the signature cocoa powder texture and expansive mouthfeel. Rich, with depth and balance, leading to a generous velvety-smooth textured persistent finish, showing concentration and refinement. A classic example of the very best from the Rutherford appellation.
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