Georges de Latour was a chemist from France who relocated to California in 1883. He started with four acres of land in Rutherford and gradually expanded his reach. His business thrived during Prohibition as he sold sacramental wine to the Catholic Church. Beaulieu means “beautiful place” in French. The estate vineyards sprawl over 1,100 acres.

A turning point occurred in 1938 when winemaker André Tchelistcheff joined Beaulieu Vineyards. Tchelistcheff tasted the 1936 de Latour family’s private reserve wine. “It was so distinctive that Tchelistcheff insisted it is bottled and sold as the winery’s flagship offering.” By 1940, under Tchelistcheff guidance, the first vintage of Beaulieu Vineyard Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was released. Winemaking has been under the direction of Trevor Durling since 2017.

This wine has a dominance of Cabernet Sauvignon (91%) along with Petite Verdot (9%) to enhance it's aromatic profile. It is sourced from BV's finest Cabernet Sauvignon from the western bench of the Rutherford AVA and the iconic BV Ranches No. 1 and No. 2. This wine opens with a brooding, opaque-garnet color. This is one of those wines that is an unexpected pleasure from the moment that it is opened. Fragrant ripe wild blueberries and sweetened blackberries welcome you at the entry. The endless layers are richly textured and accented with macerated red and blue fruits, tea, brown spices, freshly cut cedar and a layer of melted Dutch chocolate. The muti-layered, complex core is wrapped with hints of classic dusty earth, espresso and finely grained tannins. The wine remains silky and very stylish, as it is certain to excel to another level with long-term aging. A stunning effort by winemaker Trevor Durling.

By W Peter Hoyne