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The high-quality 2012 harvest was a winemaker's dream. The relaxed, easy vintage was greatly appreciated after the challengingly cool weather patterns in 2011. Long stretches of sunny days coupled with foggy nights gave our 2012 wines exceptionally rich, expressive flavors and impeccable balance. The ideal growing season, including well-timed rains, no frost during bud break, and perfect weather for bloom, berry-set and ripening, was textbook Napa Valley. We hand selected grapes from the finest Cabernet Sauvignon vines in our BV Ranches No. 1 and No. 2, originally planted by Georges de Latour in the early 1900s. We focusd on clones that yield small berries with the high skin-to-juice ratio needed to make intense, long-lived wines. These chosen vines are deeply rooted in the well-draining alluvial fan soils of the Rutherford American Viticultural Area, considered one of the finest regions of Napa Valley for Cabernet Sauvignon.
Wine Description
The Story
Our Georges de Latour Cabernet Sauvignon has been widely recognized as the benchmark Cabernet Sauvignon from Rutherford since its inaugural vintage in 1936. Our understanding of terroir comes from more than 100 years of creating rich, classic Napa Valley wines. Our legacy honors the marriage between state-of-the-art technology and gentle, traditional winemaking methods, a combination that enhances the expression of our remarkable vineyards.
When André Techelistcheff joined Beaulieu Vineyard in 1938, he tasted the de Latour family’s private wine – what they called “Private Reserve” – from the 1936 vintage. This Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine was so distinctive that Tchelistcheff insisted it be bottled and sold as the winery’s flagship offering. In 1940, Beaulieu Vineyard released the first vintage of Private Reserve and named it in our founder’s honor. The resulting wine became the first release of Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine that was destined to become Napa Valley’s first “cult” Cabernet. In 70+ years since, Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon has become the benchmark of Napa Valley Cabernet as one of the most collected American wines.
Winemaking
At our state-of-the-art winery, dedicated exclusively to the crafting of the Georges de Latour Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine is fermented in roughly 50% new French oak barrels which provides early integration and enhances the dense, rich texture. The balance of the must was fermented in stainless steel and concrete fermenters which preserves the freshness of the fruit. Following judicious extended skin contact and in-barrel malolactic fermentation, the wine was pressed and returned to barrels for aging. A small amount of Petit Verdot was blended with the Cabernet Sauvignon to further enhance the wine's aroma and flavor profile. With the 2016 vintage, we took more care in selecting the barrels chosen specifically for crafting Georges de Latour. We narrowed down our barrel coopers to the top 10 premium barrels to craft a Cabernet with incredible structure without any of the harsh grippy, astringent tannins that are sometimes associated with Napa Cabernet. This barrel regime is very important to the elevated quality of our Georges de Latour Private Reserve.
Wine Information
Offering abundant, dark-fruit character and plush texture, our 2012 Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon reflects the sunny and dry growing season. The wine opens with layered aromas of crushed blackberries, dark cherries, bittersweet chocolate and violet. Ripe, muscular tannins support the expansive, dark-fruit flavors, while impeccably balanced acidity adds vibrancy. Complex nuances of toffee and toasted oak spices, from aging in new French oak barrels, heighten the aromas and linger on the persistent finish. This wine makes an elegant accompaniment to filet mignon with forest mushrooms.