2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour
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Tasting notes
The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve Georges de Latour is made from 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Petit Verdot, aged for 22 months in 86% French oak and 14% American oak, 82% new. The alcohol came in at a whopping 15.1% for this vintage. Deep garnet in color with a touch of brick, it opens with promising menthol and dried lavender scents giving way to a core of baked cherries, warm plums and crème de cassis plus touches of sautéed herbs, raisin cake and mocha with a waft of smoked meats. Very full-bodied, warm and chewy in the mouth, it has a mid-palate packed with baked black fruits, finishing a little firm and rustic. While this is a very good, perfectly drinkable example of this fuller, riper style, this vintage of GdL is missing some of the polish, purity and poise of the truly greats.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Healthy dark red with ruby tones; little sign of development. Lower-toned on the nose than the 2007 version, offers aromas of plum, mocha, licorice, coffee and loam. Concentrated, very ripe and broad on the palate, offering a nice blend of sweet and savory elements. This wine will rely more on its substantial alcohol and broad, palate-saturating, slightly dusty tannins than its modest acidity for longevity, but it's hard to believe that it will evolve as slowly as the 2007. I find more heat here than in the even higher-octane '07, perhaps owing to this wine's lower acidity. Incidentally, globetrotting enologist Michel Rolland began consulting here in late 2006 and stayed for 10 years. (15.1% alcohol; 3.87 pH; 5.4 g/l acidity; aged in 86% French and 14% American oak, 82% new)
(includes 7% petit verdot) Good deep red-ruby. Classic cabernet aromas of cassis, violet and licorice. Silky and suave on entry, then supple and sweet in the middle, with a fruit character that's very ripe without showing any dried fruit notes. The dark berry and bitter chocolate flavors support the substantial tannins. This weighs in at 15.1% alcohol but does not come off as hot. Finishes with very good persistence.
Lush and mouthfilling, with velvety tannins enveloping a concentrated core of black cherry and blackcurrant fruit. Gently herbaceous, long in the finish, and showing no heat despite its labelled 15.1% alcohol. (LM)
About the producer
Beaulieu Vineyard remains one of the most historically important wineries in Napa Valley. It is it one of the longest continuous running wineries in the region, as one of the few that kept operating throughout Prohibition.