2019 Beaulieu Vineyard (BV) Georges De Latour Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve Napa Valley 750 ml

Beaulieu Vineyard’s Georges de Latour Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve might be the most iconic wine in Napa Valley—and the 2019 could very well be the best one ever. 

Bold and generous, layered and rich, this monumental bottling earned 100 points from James Suckling, who named it his 2022 Wine of the Year. 

It’s not just a reminder of how BV remains a quality leader in Napa Valley, but of just how decadent yet elegant Napa Cabernet can be. 

André Tchelistcheff, known as the godfather of Napa Valley winemaking, joined Beaulieu Vineyard in 1938. When he tasted the de Latour family’s Private Reserve, he insisted that it be bottled and sold as the winery’s flagship offering. In 1940, BV and Tchelistcheff released the first edition of the wine, named after BV founder Georges de Latour. 

The quality of the Private Reserve is uncompromising. The grapes are selected by hand from Cabernet vines on the western bench of Rutherford, from BV ranches No. 1 and No. 2, which were originally planted by Georges de Latour over a century ago. The clones selected—6, 4, 169, 7, and 8—yield small berries with a high skin-to-juice ratio, which ramps up the intensity and the longevity of the wine. 

BV has a winery dedicated exclusively to producing the Georges de Latour Private Reserve—yes, you read that right. The wine is fermented in a combination of stainless steel and concrete to preserve fresh-fruit character, and French oak barrels to foster integration and enhance the texture. Following vinification, the wine goes into French oak barrels, 95% of them new, for 20 months of aging. 

This bottling is a cellarworthy icon in any vintage. In 2019, it’s transcendent.