BV RUTHERFORD CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Beaulieu Vineyard
Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

“Considering this is the biggest production wine from this producer, it’s really impressive. Redcurrants, blackcurrants, spearmint, aniseed, cedar, sage and pine needles. Very refined with fresh berries, interlaced between savory notes, the layers of tannins driven along by bright acidity. Drink now or hold. Better after 2021.”

VARIETIES: Cabernet Sauvignon
REGION: United States / California / North Coast / Napa County / Napa Valley
AGEING: –
GUARDING POTENTIAL: Enjoy now or will cellar well up to 15 years
SERVE: Serve at 16ºC – 18ºC
CRITICS SCORES: 92/JS, 90/WW
VIVINO: Average 4.1 ★★★★✰

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Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon | Range | Beaulieu Vineyard

Full bodied, Ripe & Generous

In 1938, Georges de Latour travelled to France’s Pasteur Institute to recruit a winemaker and viticulturist to bring his expertise to Rutherford in Napa Valley. Andre Tchelistcheff, Russian émigré joined Beaulieu Vineyard, his experience, insights and leadership revolutionized not only Beaulieu Vineyard but the entire Napa Valley wine industry. His pursuit of higher wine quality and continuous innovation earned him the industry’s most famous title ‘The Maestro’. To this day Andre is widely considered the father of the California wine industry, influencing many changes.

The Rutherford sub-region of Napa Valley centers on the town of Rutherford and covers some of Napa Valley’s finest vineyard real estate, spanning from the Mayacamas in the west, to the Vaca Mountains on the other side of the valley.

Inside of the Rutherford AVA, bordering the Mayacamas, is a stretch of uplands called the Rutherford Bench. (These bench lands technically run the length of Oakville as well). Mountain runoff creates deep, well-drained, alluvial soils on the bench, giving vine roots plenty of reason to permeate deep into the ground. The result is wine with great structure and complexity.

Rutherford Cabernet Sauvingons and Bordeaux Blends garner substantial attention for their enticing fragrances of dusty earth and dried herbs, broad and juicy mid-palates and lush and fine-grained tannins. The sub-appellation claims some of the valley’s most prized vineyards today, namely Caymus, Rubicon and Beckstoffer Georges III.

It is also home to Napa’s most influential and historic personalities. Thomas Rutherford, responsible for the appellation’s name, made serious investments here in grape growing and wine production between the years of 1850 to 1880. Gustave Niebaum purchased a large swath of land and completed his winery in 1887, calling it “Inglenook.” Today this remains the oldest bonded winery in California. Georges Latour founded Beaulieu Vineyard in 1900, making it the oldest continuous winery in the state. Latour also hired the famous enologist, André Tchelistcheff, a man credited for single-handedly defining the modern Napa winemaking style.