Beaulieu Vineyard
The Beaulieu wine estate is located in Rutherford, California. The estate dates back to the start of the 20th century.
When Georges de Latour's wife, Fernande, spotted a ranch with 1,5 hectare of land in Rutherford in around 1900, she exclaimed "Quelle beau lieu!" or "What a beautiful place." Moved by the sight, de Latour sold his successful business, purchased the 1,5 hectare farm, and founded Beaulieu Vineyard with the goal of producing wines that could rival those from his home country of France.
Over the following decades, Georges and Fernande continued to acquire additional vineyards.
De Latour imported vines that were resistant to pests and offered European varieties, which shipped from Europe to his colleagues in the California wine industry.
Georges de Latour visited France in 1938 in search of a new winemaker when he met André Tchelistcheff. This Russian born winemaker inspired Georges and he made him chief winemaker at Beaulieu Vineyard. Upon arriving in Napa in 1938, he immediately shaped and guided the philosophy of innovation and terroir expression in winemaking, a philosophy that still defines the wines of Beaulieu Vineyard today.
Upon tasting the de Latour family’s private wine from the 1936 vintage after joining Beaulieu Vineyard, Tchelistcheff was so impressed that he insisted on bottling and selling it as the winery’s flagship wine. In 1941, Beaulieu Vineyard released the inaugural vintage of the Private Reserve, which was named Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon in memory of the founder, who had passed away in 1940. This was the first ever release of a wine that would later be considered Napa Valley's original "cult" Cabernet.
André Tchelistcheff is regarded as the most influential winemaker in the history of Napa Valley. He retired from Beaulieu Vineyard in 1973
Beaulieu Vineyard's commitment to advancing Tchelistcheff's groundbreaking work is still evident in its substantial investments in the early 2000s in the winer. in 2010, renowned winemaker Michel Rolland was brought in as a blending consultant for Beaulieu Vineyard's reserve wines.
Beaulieu also produces a Georges de Latour wine of specially selected (the very best) barrels and bottled as "BV Rarity". This wine is only available in magnum.
The legacy of innovation at Beaulieu Vineyard lives on through Trevor Durling, the current chief winemaker, who is only the fifth winemaker in the winery's 117-year history.
Many professional wine journalists rate the Beaulieu wines with high scores. The Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon often earns 95+ points. James Suckling gave the wines in 2019 the maximum score of 100 poinmts.
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