This is a Napa Classic. Beaulieu Vineyards are now owned by an Australian company (Treasury Wine Estates) but they have a long history in post-prohibition Napa.
Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 Napa Valley, California
14.7% alcohol. First vintage 1936. 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot. Cabernet Sauvignon from the western bench of the Rutherford AVA, with well drained soils from alluvial fans. BV Ranches No. 1 and No. 2, originally planted by Georges de Latour in the early 1900s. Clonal selections (6, 4, 169, 7 and 8) dominate, with small berries. Optical sorting of handpicked fruit. Some of the wine is fermented in new French oak barrels. The balance of the must is fermented in stainless steel and concrete tanks before maturation in barrels. 22 months of aging in 100% French oak (95% new barrels). This is a well structured, nicely refined expression of Napa Valley Cabernet, with quite a bit of oak influence, although it integrates really well. Blackberry, blackcurrant and cherry fruit with good concentration, showing ripeness but not jamminess, and supported by firm tannins. It’s classically balanced with a nice tension between the ripe fruit, the structure and the oak influence. This is built to age and should develop into a mellow maturity. I like the fact that this is a homage to the past in Napa. 94/100 (Sold on La Place from September 2024, and stocked in the UK by Honest Grapes, Lay & Wheeler, Frazier’s Wine Merchants and Bon Coeur Wine Merchants. RRP £150.00.)