1979 | Beaulieu Vineyard | Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Introduction

Red Wine: 1979 | Beaulieu Vineyard | Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

The wine’s intriguing spicy complexity carries through on the finish, which features distinctly firm tannins that turned a bit dusty in the glass.

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Producer: Beaulieu Vineyard

Ratings: WA | 93 V | 92

Vintage: 1979

Size: 750ml

ABV: 13%

Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon

Country/Region: United States, California

Features well-defined dried cranberries, redcurrant jelly and stewed plums notes with hints of dried lavender, eucalyptus, bouquet garni, damp soil and pencil shavings plus a touch of leather. The wine’s intriguing spicy complexity carries through on the finish, which features distinctly firm tannins that turned a bit dusty in the glass.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: Medium to deep brick colored, the 1979 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve Georges de Latour features well-defined dried cranberries, redcurrant jelly and stewed plums notes with hints of dried lavender, eucalyptus, bouquet garni, damp soil and pencil shavings plus a touch of leather. Medium-bodied and sporting a modest alcohol level of 13%, the palate offers fantastic intensity and a firm, chewy frame, culminating in loads of savory and exotic spice-accented layers on the finish. This vintage is currently holding a nice plateau, so no rush to drink.

• Vinous: Complex if rather subdued aromas of cassis, cherry, spices, flowers and loam, plus a freshening eucalyptus note that was probably due to a row of eucalyptus trees planted next to the BV #3 vineyard (now Andy Beckstoffer’s Georges III vineyard), which at the time was part of the Georges de Latour blend. Vibrant red berry and spice flavors convey noteworthy energy for a 40-year-old bottle. The wine’s intriguing spicy complexity carries through on the finish, which features distinctly firm tannins that turned a bit dusty in the glass. This wine gives the impression of being in a state of suspended animation.

Producer Information

Beaulieu Vineyard is a historically significant winery in California’s Rutherford AVA that has been producing wine for more than a century. During Prohibition, it managed to obtain a contract to supply sacramental wine to churches, meaning it was able to remain in production between 1920 and 1933 when the Volstead Act was repealed. This makes Beaulieu one of the longest continually operational wineries in the United States. The company was founded in 1900 by Georges de Latour with the assistance of enologist Andr Tchelistcheff. Tchelistcheff went on to create the prestige cuve Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, and mentored many of the next generation of Napa winemakers, including Robert Mondavi, Mike Grgich and Joe Heitz. The company is currently part of Treasury Wine Estates. The Beaulieu vineyards sit at the foot of the Mayacamas Mountains in the Rutherford AVA, and are planted with Bordeaux varieties, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec. As well as these plots, Beaulieu has vines in the St Helena, Calistoga and Carneros AVAs. There are many different varieties planted throughout these vineyards Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Marsanne and Roussane, Mourvedre, Touriga Nacional, Merlot and Sangiovese. The flagship Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is hand-picked in the vineyard prior to fermentation in French oak barrels, concrete tanks and stainless steel tanks. After a period of barrel-aging, a selection of the top ten barrels are selected for bottling. The remaining Reserve collection is composed of varietal single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon wines sourced from various estate vineyards whilst the Napa Valley is the entry level range of a duo of Cabernet Sauviognon and Chardonnay.