Wine Advisor
Beaulieu Vineyard, BV Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1969
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
1969 was the last year when the winery was still owned by the de Latour family. It was a relatively cool vintage, offering wines of great purity. Medium to deep brick-brown, the 1969 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve Georges de Latour struts sternly out of the glass with notions of cedar chest, spice box, baked plums, dried mulberries, dried flowers, aniseed, dark chocolate, camphor and old chesterfield leading to hints of espresso, woodsmoke and charcuterie plus a touch of truffles. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is softly spoken and profound with layers of mineral and earth notions plus a smoky undercurrent, finishing with a dried herbs lift. Alcohol is just 12.5% for this vintage, and 11,830 cases were made.
About the Producer
Beaulieu Vineyard is a beautiful story about a beautiful vineyard. To surprise their dear wife, Georges and Fernande de Latour bought a four-hectare plot of vines and a house called Rutherford in the Napa Valley in the United States in May 1900, and a new era began. When Madame Fernande first saw the land, she exclaimed "Quel Beaulieu", a French phrase meaning "a beautiful piece of land", and that was the name of the winery. This was a very sound investment on the part of the De Latour family. In fact, soon after buying the property, the vines were attacked by aphids, and it was thanks to Mr. Georges' planting knowledge that the aphid-infested vines were cured and within ten years a million vines with aphid-resistant roots were produced, rejuvenating the winemaking business in the Napa Valley. Mr. Georges became a well-known and most influential figure in the region. In 1940, BV also provided the wines required for the White House banquet, which was praised by celebrities such as Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of President Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister.
