2021 Beaulieu Vineyard "Georges de Latour - Private Reserve" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

The flagship 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Georges De Latour Private Reserve is in the same ballpark as the 2019 and is an incredibly elegant yet concentrated 2021 that does everything right. Purple-hued, with ample cassis, wild sage, graphite, and darker chocolate-like aromatics, it picks up a Graves-like gravelly earth character with air and is full-bodied, has ripe, polished tannins, beautiful overall balance, and a great finish. As with many of the top 2021s, it’s a touch reserved and closed and needs 4-5 years of bottle age, but will drink well for 30 years. (JD) 98+

One of the true legends of Napa Valley and 100% worthy of the huge scores and lavish praise from the world's top wine critics. For over 100 years Beaulieu Vineyards, known internationally as a simple "BV" have produced world-class wines from Napa Valley that have in no small part helped cement the region's reputation of excellence. The quality of this wine is firmly rooted in some of the best soil on the planet for growing Cabernet Sauvignon. The BV Ranches established over the last century on the west Rutherford bench have been consistent sources of incredible fruit proven time and time again to issue forth powerful and age worthy wines. The 2021 GDL is an absolute classic, a benchmark wine of the region and vintage. The wine is certainly not inexpensive (truly great wines rarely are) however, in the context of Napa Cabernet of this quality and pedigree, it's very hard to beat. In an era where wines of this ilk frequently exceed $500 a bottle, this wine can and will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with any of those contenders.