Winery Profile: Beaulieu Vineyards

Beaulieu Vineyards, whose name means “beautiful place” in French, is the largest producer of Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa Valley and has been at the forefront of quality wine making for almost 120 years. Founded in 1900 by French immigrants, Georges and Fernande de Latour, this winery in Rutherford, California started as a small area of land before becoming a global giant. Georges hope to create wines that rivaled those of his native France. In doing so, De Latour quickly made a name for himself by importing Phylloxera-resistant rootstock from Europe to the recently-ravaged fledgling California wine industry.

Beaulieu was one of the few wineries that survived throughout Prohibition. While most wineries were closing their doors, Beaulieu was increasing business through a contract producing sacramental wine for the Catholic Church. Once Prohibition ended, Georges dedicated himself to researching new methods to bring about the best expressions he could muster. This led him to his homeland of France where he brought back to California André Tchelistcheff, who would go on to become a legendary figure in California wine making, while earning himself the nickname, “The Maestro”. Once at Beaulieu, Tchelistcheff tasted a sample of the family’s private reserve and suggested it be bottled as the winery’s flagship offering. This became the first production of Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley’s first “cult” Cabernet.

Today, Beaulieu honors their own past while pushing the boundaries of contemporary wine making. From their website:

Our wine making processes honor our exceptional fruit with meticulous wine making that reveals the distinctive varietal personality of the grapes. Whites are cold-fermented to retain their bright, vibrant character, while Reds undergo cold-soaking for optimum extraction of color, flavor and tannin, followed by small-barrel fermentation and aging in oak barrels selected for their type of oak, level of toast and age. To determine the best blends, we keep each small vineyard lot separate throughout the entire wine making process. This allows us to note the effect of clone, soil, microclimate and growing season on the developing wine from each vineyard parcel. We then blend the individual barrel lots to create wines that are the best expression of their terroir.

Beaulieu’s portfolio has grown from their signature Cabernet Sauvignon to include a wide range of varietal wines that are portioned out into 4 collections; the Reserve Wines, the Napa Valley Portfolio, the Maestro Collection, and the Rarity collection. See their full line-up HERE.

Beaulieu is located at 1960 St. Helena Highway, Rutherford, CA 94573 and are open Tuesday through Thursday 11:00am - 5:00pm and Friday through Monday 10:00am - 5:00pm. They offer a wide range of tasting experiences where reservations are strongly encouraged. More info on their website.