Beaulieu Vineyard Private Reserve Georges de Latour Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 05

Tasting Notes:
The 2005 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon expresses immensely concentrated layers of brambly blackberry, black cherry and dark plum character. Complex nuances of mocha and black licorice mingle with toasty vanilla oak from barrel aging. Gentle precision winemaking assures that no single character predominates in the beautifully integrated aromas and flavors. This wine's opulent flavors, structured with mouthcoating, velvety tannins, are best shown with equally rich entrées, such as filet mignon, or with an elegant cheese course.

Our winemaking techniques have continued to evolve since the first Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon in 1936, bringing even more complexity and balance to this renowned and highly collected wine. We handcrafted the wine using pre-fermentation maceration, gentle punch-downs during fermentation in open-top fermenters, in-barrel malolactic fermentation and 20 months of barrel aging.

Vineyard Notes:
We sourced the vast majority of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from the finest blocks of our Beaulieu Vineyard Ranch No. 1 and Ranch No. 2 on the Rutherford bench in the center of Napa Valley. The wine's expansive flavors give credence to André Tchelistcheff's famous quote, "It takes Rutherford Dust to make a great Cabernet Sauvignon." The Beaulieu Vineyard Ranch No. 1 and Ranch No. 2 sites, originally planted by Georges de Latour in the early 1900s, have alluvial fan soils (a mixture of gravel, sand and loam) that allow deep rooting for the development of complex flavors. After years of Cabernet Sauvignon clonal trials, we grafted the vines to University of California Davis Clones No. 4 and No. 6, and Clone No. 337 for exceptional flavor diversity and concentration.

Production Notes:
Napa Valley

Winemaker Notes:
The 2005 vintage provided long hangtime to achieve ripe, fully developed flavors in Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes. Heavy winter rains during vine dormancy gave way to a dry, mild March. Significant rains returned in April and May, delaying bloom and berry set. Summer temperatures were desirably mild, with few heat spikes. September's fog and cool temperatures slowed sugar accumulation, and then perfect conditions arrived in October for a late harvest.