2019 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Rutherford
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Tasting notes
2019 was a long, cool growing season with 'modest yields'. 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, 5% Malbec. Fruit from selected parcels on BV's historic vineyard blocks (Ranches No 1, No 2 and No 10), in western Rutherford Bench. Seven days' cold soak. eight- to 12-day fermentation with cap pumpovers. 21 months in French oak barrels, 80% new. TA 6.3 g/l, pH 3.72. Rusty-nail aroma and a dusty, rusty fragrance fills the glass and glitters through the fruit like hematite. Beautiful fruit, cherry dark, glimmering with hedgerow-raspberry highlights, speckled with black pepper and wrapped in long, long silk ribbons of tannins. It's muscular and the backbone of structure is powerful, welded iron but somehow fluid – not a molecule of astringency, although the dustiness seems to give the wine a cocoa-powder texture. Towards the end, freshness starts to build, drawing into a long floral, inky finish. Despite its grandiose Napa character, you could fly on the cold-mountain energy of this wine. (TC)
Critic scores
Average Score
Tamlyn Currin, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Coming mostly from estate fruit, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Reserve is another plush, rounded, undeniably delicious release. Ripe blue fruits, spicy oak, and hints of chocolate define the nose, and it' s medium to full-bodied, with a layered, round, incredibly satisfying mouthfeel. I like it now, but it should evolve gracefully for 10-15 years as well.
The first wine in the progression that really speaks to the winery's Rutherford roots, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Reserve is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot and 5% Malbec that boasts aromas of ripe cherries, accented by baking spices, subtle cedar notes and a hint of mint. It's medium to full-bodied on the palate, showing off the silky, fine-grained tannins typical of the region, finishing long and softly dusty, with a hint of cocoa.
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.