Mission Codename Napa's OG Latour
Today we’re rolling out the red carpet for a collection of ICONIC Cabernets from the motherland we call Napa Valley.
Before ANYONE ELSE in some cases, like this 2021 BV.
We quietly assembled 10 epic wines from the peaks of Spring Mountain, up the slopes of Howell, down to Stags Leap, and beyond. The full force of Napa’s lush and verdant winegrowing region is on display, with top producers, huge scores from the pros, and unbelievable pricing. We are SO LOCKED IN!!
You’ll find Opus One, Girard and Robert Craig to name a few - assembled in one place like the Avengers to protect your dwindling cellar supply and warm the hearts of our Cabernet-loving Operatives.
Hot off the presses, a pre-release 2021 classic for the ages.
Does BV’s Georges de Latour PR need an introduction?
For Food & Wine Jonathan Cristaldi says “I’d wager that there are so many Napa Cabernets made today that if you stacked them one by one, they’d reach all the way to the moon. But if you stacked them in order of historical significance with the most profound bottles forming the base, the #1 bottle would have to be BV’s legendary Georges de Latour Private Reserve.”
How ‘bout 4 unanimous 98 points with bigger scores to come? For the lowest price known to man. It’s a good day to be a Wine Spies Operative!
BV has one of the most storied pedigrees of any Napa winery, stretching back to the 1930s. This flagship has been in production for nearly 100 years! It was the first “cult” wine in Napa (before that was even a thing) and today it still rivals or bests the trendiest of cult Cabs thanks to the peak this pioneer reached in ‘Maestro’ André Tchelistcheff’s able hands. Kudos to Trevor Durling for reviving that legacy.
Born from the 1936 vintage it sold for $1.50 back in the day. While it’s not quite the same price today, the quality of this wine has improved dramatically, and this vintage is one of the best EVER. And today, for you our select few Cab fans, it’s here before your eyes for the lowest price in the known universe! Other cult Napa Cabs run you $200, $300, $400+. Sure, you can gloss over this in favor of other newer and much more expensive projects, but you will probably come up short, and with less money in your bank account. Not today. Game. Set. Match!
The sheer complexity will send you reeling. We won’t waste time trying to sashay some more tasting notes into the mix. The pros below do it justice, and it’s something you need to taste to fully appreciate.
Strike while the wine is in stock! There’s precious little time to spare…
98+ Points – Jeb Dunnuck
“Lastly, 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. Drink 2027-2057.”
98 Points – Antonio Galloni’s Vinous “This is another set of stellar wines from Beaulieu Vineyard and winemaker Trevor Durling. BV is arguably one of the most improved estates in Napa Valley over the last few years. Today’s wines offer terrific energy in a style that marries textural resonances with vibrancy. In short, the wines show more clarity and definition than in the past, which is great to see. The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour is outrageously beautiful. A wine of statuesque build and class, the 2021 represents another major step forward for BV. Black cherry, plum, spice, new leather, menthol, mocha and gravel soar from the glass. This is an especially refined vintage for this flagship wine. Here, too, there is plenty of tannin, but it is not anywhere near as perceptible as it was in the past. Shorter macerations and gentler overall winemaking, including fewer lots vinified in barrel, have elevated the Georges meaningfully. Drink 2027-2041.”
98 Points – Decanter “What a spectacular showing of this iconic wine in the terrific 2021 vintage. Deep ruby with a purple hue, it just exudes elegance and statesmanship. It has a noble quality to it that begins with its precise and lifted bouquet of dried rose petals, kirsch, Blackberry, and cassis fruit interlaced with sagebrush, sandalwood, and toasty cedarwood. Perfectly medium to full-bodied, showcasing a dazzling spectrum of silken red and black fruits redolent of strawberry, cherry, plum, and blackberry atop a substantial bed of taut, mineral-tinged tannins. A spine of racy acidity lifts the panoply of fruit, and the finish reveals a plethora of wild herbs, cast iron notes, pastille, and white pepper, nuanced by rich, toasty oak infused with toffee and vanilla bean. It is one of the most satisfying and immediately enjoyable expressions of the Georges de Latour Private Reserve in the last decade. Produced by Trevor Durling, the fourth winemaker to follow in the footsteps of the great André Tchelistcheff. Drinking window 2024-2050.”
98 Points – James Suckling “Intense aromas of iodine, blackcurrants, cedar, sandalwood and mint follow through to a medium to full body with silky tannins that spread across the palate and expand in a balanced and harmonized way. Hints of chocolate and fruit at the end. Some tar. Drinkable but better in a few years. Try in 2027 and beyond.”
What the Winery Says
2021 'Georges de Latour Private Reserve' Cabernet Sauvignon
- Winemaker
- Trevor Durling
- Varietals
- 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot
- Vintage
- 2021
- Alcohol
- 14.7%
- Appellation
- Mostly Rutherford, Napa Valley
- pH
- 3.64
- Aging
- 20 months
- Barrels
- 95% new French Oak