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B-21 Top Recommendation
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While the popularity of cult favorite Napa Cabs may rise and fall over time, the powerful 98 pt. 2018 Beaulieu Vineyards Georges de Latour Private Reserve and 100 pt. 2019 Beaulieu Vineyards Georges de Latour Private Reserve comes from an iconic Napa producer that has stood the test of time, two highly rated, cellar-worthy Napa Cabs reflecting the estate's unmatched 100 year legacy for quality and over delivering value in a big way.
Established with 80 acres first planted by founder Georges de Latour in the early 1900's, Beaulieu Vineyard has grown to one of the largest landowners in Rutherford with over 1,100 acres of vines, the prime vineyards for the Georges de Latour Private Reserve situated on the AVA's famed gravelly western bench bordering To Kalon in Oakville with deeply rooted vines that produce small, concentrated berries. Known for coining the term "Rutherford Dust" as an expression of the AVA's distinctive terroir, legendary winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff tasted a special lot of the 1936 vintage and released the first Georges de Latour in 1941, earning it the designation of Napa's first special "Reserve" and consistently garnering 90 plus point ratings over the decades. Blending mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with small amounts of Petit Verdot and Malbec at the cuvee's dedicated state of the art winery, winemaker Trevor Durling aged the richly complex 98 pt. 2018 BV Georges de Latour for 22 months in 95% new French oak, yielding vibrant, energetic dark fruit with tantalizing minerality, described as "juicy, ripe and inviting" by the Wine Spectator's James Molesworth and declared a "brilliant, seamless wine in the making" by critic Jeb Dunnuck that's built for decades in the cellar. Named James Suckling's Wine of the Year in 2022 and among only a handful of Napa Cabs earning a perfect score in the vintage, the elegant and muscular 100 pt. 2019 Beaulieu Vineyards Georges de Latour Private Reserve is a blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with 9% Petit Verdot aged for 20 months in 95% new French oak, yielding fresh, ripe dark fruit with well-integrated notes of vanilla and toasted spice and layered, silky tannins, described as "one to wait for" by Decanter's Georgina Hindle and declaring it "one of the best value Napa Valley wines going."
Considered Napa's reference point for expertly balancing power with elegance for over 80 vintages, the thrilling 98 pt. 2018 Beaulieu Vineyards Georges de Latour Private Reserve and 100 pt. 2019 Beaulieu Vineyards Georges de Latour Private Reserve represent the apex of this legendary cuvee, offered at a fraction of the price of the "new kids on the block" for savvy Napa Cab collectors to savor over the next few decades. |
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The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve is fabulous. Inky, rich and explosive, the 2018 is a fine addition to the lineage of one of Napa Valley's most historic wines. Inky red fruit, chocolate, leather and licorice all open in the glass. Aeration brings out floral top notes, raspberry and a hint of blood orange. There is plenty of depth, but the tannins are finer than they were a few years ago. Shorter time on the skins and a reduction in barrel fermentations really allow the pedigree of these Rutherford sites to come through. The 2018 is sensational.
98 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous (Jan 2021)
Blackberry, blackcurrant and mint with some sage and crushed-stone undertones. Full-bodied with chewy tannins that are in-check and nicely polished. Smoke, toasted oak and bark at the end, complementing the fresh yet ripe fruit. Drink after 2024.
98 points, James Suckling (Dec 2021)
The famous wine lives up to its historic promise in this wonderfully complex and structured vintage, the wine showing an abundance of tension and youthful grip. Earthy in dried herb, cedar and sage, it shares notes of black currant, cassis and forest within a textured and brightly layered foundation of elegant ageablity. Enjoy best from 2028–2038.
97 points, Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast (Nov 2021)
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve Georges de Latour is a blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec. Deep garnet-purple in color, it prances out of the glass with flamboyant scents of blackberry preserves, wild blueberries and crème de cassis, followed by hints of cigar box, Chinese five spice and pencil shavings with a waft of menthol. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a solid structure of firm grainy tannins and seamless freshness supporting the muscular black fruit, finishing long and earthy.
96+ points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate (Nov 2021)
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