| Region of production: | Napa Valley AVA |
| Winery Location: | Rutherford |
| Year Established: | 1900 |
Vineyard Holdings
over 4,45 estate ha
- BV Ranch #1 (Rutherford AVA): 32 ha
- BV Ranch #2 (Rutherford AVA): 50 ha
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Georges de Latour Private Reserve (Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from BV Ranches #1 and #2; some vintages include a small amount of other Bordeaux varieties). Inaugural vintage 1936.
- Vineyard Reserve Clone 4 (100% Cabernet, Rutherford AVA)
- Vineyard Reserve Clone 6 (100% Cabernet, Rutherford AVA)
Average Total Production
- N/A
Summary
Frenchman Georges de Latour founded Beaulieu Vineyard (BV) in 1900, purchased his first vineyard in 1904 (BV Ranch #1), and was one of the few American wineries to survive Prohibition – by selling sacramental wines to the Catholic Church. The real story begins in 1938, when Latour returned from a trip to France with Russian winemaker and viticulturalist André Tchelistcheff, who became one of the most influential winemakers of the post-Prohibition era in Napa. Tchelistcheff mentored some of California’s greatest young winemakers in the midcentury (Mondavi, Heitz, Grgich), and many of Napa’s pioneers in the ’60s and ’70s sought his advice prior to purchasing vineyard land. At BV, he immediately encouraged Latour to bottle a special lot of 1936 Cabernet Sauvignon as „Georges de Latour Private Reserve,“ and was instrumental in modernizing winery practices. Tchelistcheff instituted new standards in winery hygiene, pioneered frost prevention techniques and contributed greatly to the California wine industry’s understanding of temperature-controlled fermentation, malolactic fermentation, and small barrel aging. Under his guidance, the Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon became a benchmark American wine, and BV became one of the most important vineyard properties in California. Latour himself would not see the full fruits of his labors: he died in in 1940.
Shortly after taking control of neighboring Napa legend Inglenook, Heublein Inc. purchased BV in 1969. Both producers suffered greatly in reputation. According to author James Conaway’s Napa: The Story of An American Eden, early viticultural advice from the corporation – which controlled all American distribution rights to Smirnoff Vodka, Guinness, and Jose Cuervo Tequila – included replanting all of BV’s vineyards with Gamay Beaujolais grapes, and making „Champagne“ with Thompson Seedless. Beaulieu resisted these efforts, and in 1970 Andy Beckstoffer – then affiliated with Heublein – began acquiring vineyards in Napa to supply BV with premium fruit in order to increase production. Uninspired by the new ownership, Tchelistcheff resigned from the company in 1973 (although he was rehired as a consultant in 1991, in a move widely seen as a public relations ploy). Ownership of BV transitioned through corporate mergers and acquisitions to Diageo in 1997.
In 2008, the estate completed its Georges de Latour Private Reserve Winery, dedicated to the exclusive production of its icon Cabernet. Jeffrey Stambor is the current Director of Winemaking. Michel Rolland consults.
Style & Vinification Techniques
The Georges de Latour Private Reserve today is fermented in open-top fermenters and new French oak barrels; aging occurs in 100% new French oak for approximately 2 years. The wines are released in the third year after harvest.
Producer Website: Beaulieu Vineyard