Beaulieu - Georges De Latour Private Reserve - Napa Valley 2018
For more than 100 years, Beaulieu Vineyard has set the standard for rich, classic Napa Valley wines. Blessed with a remarkable terroir, BV crafts wines using a combination of traditional techniques and modern technology to coax out the fullest expression of the vineyard. Nowhere is this more evident than in Georges de Latour Private Reserve.
The first cult wine of Napa, Georges de Latour Private Reserve was born in the spring of 1936 when a record frost devastated the region. The grapes that year were few in number but bold in flavor. Highly concentrated, beautifully structured, this wine was BV’s unforgettable debut. Sourced to this day from the same “Rutherford Dust” as that legendary vintage, it is still the benchmark for Napa Valley Cabernet.
« For most of this century, BV’s Private Reserve Cabernet was the most famous, among the most pretigious wines produced in California. »
James Laube, Wine Spectator
TASTING NOTES
The 2018 Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is exceptional, with a beautifully expressive nose full of ripe berry fruit aromas of raspberry, red currant, black cherry and black currant, alongside hints of fresh chaparral herbs like wild lavender, violet and rose, fresh mint, sage, bay laurel and juniper berry. Perfumed exotic spice notes from the well-integrated aging in new French oak barrels adds vanilla, cedar, clove and cinnamon, and also supports the lush fruit, showcasing the depth, concentration, and balance of this extraordinary Cabernet. Full bodied with breadth and weight, the rich expansive palate is layered with robust flavors of black cherry, red currant, thyme, leather, sweet tobacco leaf and rose petal. Signature “Rutherford Dust” tannins add a velvety-rich, cocoa-powder texture, supple length and firm presence to the lengthy finish, while secondary notes of earth, clay, dark chocolate and espresso dance on the palate until your next sip. The mouthwatering palate is silky, ethereal and sinewy, with a line of vibrant acidity, while also seamlessly integrating with the full-bodied texture, crafting a wine that is nuanced, indulgent and plentiful, offering layers of complexity, depth and structure. Inviting and beguiling now, this Cabernet is youthful and spirited, but will surely allow for age-worthiness for many years to come, if you can keep your hands off it.