Beaulieu Vineyard Pinot Noir Reserve 2011

Member Review by dkmrd5:

Coming from a primarily white wine drinker, I finally found a red that I can be proud of! This is fruit forward nose, sweet berry taste at first with subtle oak, smooth tannins. Easy to drink--especially with a meal!

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Region: USA » California » Napa » Carneros

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Winery: Beaulieu Vineyard

Color: Red

Varietal: Pinot Noir

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Beaulieu Vineyard:

"Beau lieu" - A Beautiful Story about a Beautiful Place In 1900, when Georges de Latour's wife, Fernande, first laid eyes on the land that would become their original Rutherford vineyard, she named it "beau lieu," or "beautiful place." Shortly thereafter, de Latour sold his thriving cream of tartar business, bought the four-acre ranch and founded Beaulieu Vineyard with the vision of making Napa Valley wines that would rival those of his native France. De Latour quickly made a name for himself by importing Phylloxera-resistant rootstock from Europe to the recently-ravaged fledgling California wine industry. He also began selling wine to the Catholic Church, establishing a strong relationship that would allow Beaulieu Vineyard to become the only Napa Valley winery to remain in business during Prohibition. In fact, during Prohibition the winery increased its business. After the repeal in 1933, de Latour began searching for someone who could contribute European winemaking expertise. In 1938, he traveled to France and returned with André Tchelistcheff, famed viticulturist and enologist who instituted the philosophy of continuous innovation in vineyard and winery to which we remain dedicated today. Tchelistcheff introduced cold fermentation for white wines, malolactic fermentation for reds and aging red wines in small, French oak barrels. He also 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. The result was the inaugural release of Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine that was destined to become Napa Valley's first "cult" Cabernet. Today we continue to turn to innovative practices to craft wines in our bold, classic style. We have become a leader in clonal research, and our BV Clone Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon wines are highly acclaimed. Most recently we completed a new state-of-the-art winery within one of our original buildings. The Georges de Latour Private Reserve Winery utilizes the latest technology in combination with time-honored traditions for the production of this exceptional, wine-the longtime benchmark of Rutherford Cabernet. Read less

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Member Reviews for Beaulieu Vineyard Pinot Noir Reserve

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dkmrd5

704

Vintage: 2004 11/20/2008

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Cheri

545

Vintage: 2004 02/25/2008

Light, fruity, unobtrusive bouquet, well-balanced. May never drink a BV wine again though b/c we were treated so poorly by a wine steward at their winery (mental associations are hard to break).

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Dar12

Vintage: 2004 11/23/2007

Delicious!

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hhsnag

Vintage: 2004 06/30/2009

Three glasses

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joshwoodward

234

Vintage: 1999 05/15/2009

Light color, plum, oaky, very long. Grass and tobacco. Bubble gum. Light body & tannins.

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External Reviews for Beaulieu Vineyard Pinot Noir Reserve

Vintage: 2004 01/17/2009

Wine Tasting NotesDeep ruby red in color, the Carneros Reserve Pinot Noir is darker than most. It is medium-bodied, with bright fruit and firm structure. The flavors are rich and lush on the palate with concentrated ripe plum, blackberry and raspberry essences, along with dark chocolate and espresso notes. The finish is deliciously supple and velvety. This wine pairs wonderfully with grilled salmon or ahi tuna, roasted duck, and spiced lamb.

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