BEAULIEU VINEYARD TASTING NOTES

These are notes from a local wine shop's vertical tasting of BV Private Reserve Cabernets. The prices are current and they are available now from that shop (which I won't name here) I wasn't in attendance (dammit!) because it sold out before I called to make a reservation. :^(

I have tasted some of them, and am holding bottles of a couple. Of the ones I've tasted the 1976 was my favorite. I bought it whenever I saw it (I think it was $16US on release) and drank it all in its (and my!) youth. It was utterly _delicious_ then, and apparently still is. 1976 was a drought year in California, and the crop yields were quite low. That made for great intensity of the fruit, and the wine was superbly balanced. Andre T. would have been proud to have made that wine, but IIRC the winemaker was Tom Selfridge.

I'm _very_ tempted to buy a bottle...

Tom S

"BV Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Tasting! For those of you lucky enough to attend the Beaulieu Vineyards tasting of Georges de Latour Private Reserves, you know it was a tremendous success, with the wines being perfectly stored in the BV Cellars then shipped directly to us. What a treat! For those who could not attend don't despair because the wines we tasted that night are still available at great prices. Here are a few notes:

1976 - $129.99- This was one of our favorite wines of the night. Fully mature, with a brickish tinge around the rim, the wine showed exotic notes of cedar, ginger and cassis with a healthy dose of the distinctive Rutherford dust. The fill levels are like a current release! Set this one upright, decant, and taste a living bit of California history!

1984 - $79.99 This wine was also fully mature and a bit darker than the'76. Great price for a perfectly stored wine from a legendary vintage.

1986 - $97.99 The '86 is still quite youthful, showing a powerful tannic backbone but supported by complex dark berry, spice, tobacco and mineral nuances.

1987 - $119.99 Many folks thought this was the best wine of the night. Remarkably youthful with gobs of rich cabernet fruit, this wine will continue to improve over the next 3 to 5 years.

1990 - $74.99 This was the first vintage that BV began using French Oak in the Private Reserve. Quite spicy, still youthful, and a great price!

1991 - $64.99 The price on this one makes us say "What were they thinking?" From a great vintage with over 10 years bottle age, this is priced the same as current vintage.

1993 - $71.99 The '93 showed beautifully, with a great balance between powerful youthful fruit and the nuances that some bottle age can bring. This actually was the favorite of the flight that included '95 and '97!

1995 - $85.99 This wine was still quite tight, but you could tell that all the elements for great Cabernet are in there. We actually got to try the left over bottle the next day, after it had been opened over 24 hours and it was fantastic. 93 points Wine Spectator.

1997 - $94.99 The '97 is still a baby. Deeply concentrated and rich with layers of complexity and great length and great structure, this wine has a long and beautiful life ahead of it. 95 points Wine Spectator.SOLD OUT BUT MORE MAY BE AVAILABLE

2000 - $64.99 Incredibly concentrated and powerful for the vintage. Thick and rich with some floral and herbal notes that reminded us of Cabernet Franc, We were surprised to learn this was 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Decant for an hour or two and serve this with grilled New York Steaks or cellar for up to 10 years.

2001 Pre-Arrival. 3 Bottle Price $194.97 - 6 Bottle Price $377.94 - We had to beg the winemaker to let us pour this wine before it had been released. This was also a favorite of the tasting, showing classic and beautiful Cabernet fruit but also showing a firm tannin structure that is unusual in California Cabs these days. we think that the 2001 will be equal to or better than the '97."
Reply to
Tom S
Loading thread data ...

I have one bottle of the 82 - looks like I should think about getting into it!

Reply to
Bill Spohn

Thanks for the notes Tom. I find I have 2 bottles of the 76, 2 of 75, 3 of 78. I had 6 bottles to a case of each at one time. I will have to try a bottle of each again sometime this fall, as it has been a while since I tasted them. The price of all of these was quite reasonable for the quality when I bought them shortly after release.

My mailbox is always full to avoid spam. To contact me, erase snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net from my email address. Then add snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com . I do not check this box every day, so post if you need a quick response.

Reply to
Cwdjrx _

with the 1997 Georges I heard they had an issue this cork taint from cellar methods.

anyone here try the 1997 bv Georges yet. I have a 1/2 case in cellar. just interested.

dick

Reply to
dick

"Tom S" in news:A7oJc.92058$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr29.news.prodigy.com...

I have happy memories of this wine also. I bought a few bottles slightly after release at $19 and $19.50 (at Bolton's and The Bottle Shop in Berkeley, California, I see from the inventory in those days, as a point of extreme trivia even by my standards) and served some of them a few years later. (1976 and 77 were the famous California drought years and many 1976 California cabs that I tried on release were pleasantly concentrated.)

I was disappointed later that the bottles of 76 BV Private Reserve that I saved for the much longer term were accidentally destroyed by heat. An opportunity to make up for this seemed at hand when a volume of the wine appeared not long ago at a local wine merchant -- but once again, though I responded at once, it had sold already. (Maybe to one of those people you see on the Web sites who boast of having followed fine wines for over a year, and already having 2000 postings on the subject! I Am Not Making That Up.)

-- Max

Reply to
Max Hauser

Excellent review Tom. I have not tasted the 76 or 86 in many years but to me the 93 is the best that BV ever made.

Reply to
Bill

That's one of the ones I've tasted. I didn't detect any taint problems in it. Same goes for the "Clone 6" bottling (which needs a _lot_ of time BTW). Don't know about the "Clone 4".

I bought a few bottles of the 1998 at Costco for a blowout price (~$35US). Wasn't such a bargain. Not only was 1998 not such a good vintage but those DID have taint in varying degrees. I hope the 1999 doesn't have any such problem. I bought a couple, but have never tasted it.

Tom S

Reply to
Tom S

Looks like this is your second chance. Those notes are from "The Wine House" in West L.A. in case you're interested. I have no affiliation with them BTW, except as a customer (so far anyway) That may change in the future, but nothing is pending at the moment.

Tom S

Reply to
Tom S

I spoke with Leigh Knowles at a tasting once about 20 years ago. His personal favorite was the 1958.

Tom S

Reply to
Tom S

Good to hear on the 97. This is one of my favorite wines in California.

I bought my 97's at Costco here at $52 a bottlel which to me was a steal. Hope they are good!!!!!

I have been buying since 85 and have some 86, 93, 95, 97 in cellar. Nothing after that.

enjoy

Reply to
dick

My memory of the BV situation was that the contamination was in the barrel room used for most of the reds (including Georges Latour, Clone 4 & 6, Tapestry, Rutherford, etc). There seemed to be some level of contamination of the '97s, but the '98s & '99s were hardest hit. I've got a few - '97 & '99 Rutherford, and one of those firesale '98 Georges. Oh well.

More here:

formatting link

Dale

Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply

Reply to
Dale Williams

I've never had a bad bottle of either the 1997 Rutherford or GdL, or the

1999 Rutherford. I wonder what BV's policy is on future discovery of bad bottles from those vintages?

Tom S

Reply to
Tom S

DrinksForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.