Wine Advisor
Beaulieu Vineyard, BV Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1978
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Over the years, my notes on the 1978 B.V. Private Reserve have been wildly inconsistent. In this tasting (February, 1995), the wine performed up to its highest standards, displaying fully mature aromas of roasted herbs, red and blackcurrants and cherries intertwined with caramel and spice notes. Dense, rich, and full-bodied, with a velvety texture and gobs of spicy oak, this high alcohol, lusty-styled Cabernet Sauvignon offers a compelling glass of delicious wine. Readers should be aware that I have tasted a number of bottles that are significantly less impressive, leading to the often shared observation from wine enthusiasts that B.V. stands for "Bottle Variation."
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.
