Class compared 1994 + 1995 vintages. Clear advantage 95. Better acid, much more distinct bouquet. Steak house wine.

Wine Classes

     Tasted in Art & Science of Fine Wine class held in Menlo Park (see Class Schedule). Beaulieu 1994 and 1995 Private Reserve Cabs are priced around $150 per bottle (if available) in most fine wine stores. Reference year-to-year California growing conditions on this website under Useful Wine Info – California Vintage Reports.

Wine Education Background

     Beaulieu ‘Georges de Latour’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic of the American landscape, and has been for a very long time. Originally crafted by the legendary Andre Tchelischeff, from grapes grown on Napa Valley’s Rutherford Bench, the wine was famously aged in 100% American oak. That gave the wine a considerable relationship with Bourbon ~ also aged in American oak, as is Australia’s most expensive wine, Penfold’s Grange Hermitage. What more could any cowboy want? Big slab of corn-fed beefsteak, and to wash it down, a drink that smelled like Whisky Sour and pipe tobacco. Made in America, like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Modestly expensive, but not rare. For a long time, Beaulieu made 25,000 cases of the ‘Private Reserve’ Cab each year.
     Things have changed a little bit since Andre’s time. In the 1990’s Beaulieu replanted much of their venerable BV #1 and BV #2 vineyards as a phylloxera precaution. During the process they did some clonal experimentation, concluding that while a mix of Cabernet clones was desirable, the best outcomes always included a big percentage of UCD Cab clone #6. That clone produced smaller berries, and smaller clusters than the others. It also got riper faster, and retained better acid. Beaulieu also began adding a little Merlot to the Private Reserve. And they started using some French oak as a complement to their American barrels. BV PR Cab is not the strapping hulk of yesteryear, but it’s still pretty robust.

How Does the Wine Taste?

     What are the best vintages for BV Private Reserve? Depends whether you want to drink it at age eight, or at age twenty. Andre always thought his best vintages were the hottest years; vintages such as 1958, 1966, and 1974. Perhaps he was anticipating the current fad for ultra-ripe Cabs. 1974 was a perfect example. Temperatures during the Summer of 1974 were relatively mild, but they soared from late-August through September. The Cabs were intense, fruity, and softly supple when released. They sold like hotcakes. Contrast the 1973 vintage. It started late, due to a cold, wet Spring. Summer was cool. Harvest progressed under sunny skies, but without high temperatures. Cabs from 1973 were nicely balanced, but more acidic, and roughly tannic in youth. When superseded in the marketplace by the lush ‘74’s, the ’73’s retreated from buyers’ radar. That is until it became fashionable in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s to compare the two vintages side-by-side. At age twenty, BV PR 1974 Cab was flabby, with prune-ish overtones, while the 1973 BV PR Cab had all the structural integrity in the world, a rich cigar box bouquet, and enormous persistence in the glass.
     The results from comparing BV PR 1994 Cab to the 1995 version were similar, although the chronology is reversed. In this instance, 1994 was the dry, mild Winter followed by a balmy Summer and a dry harvest. The ’94 Cabs were smooth, concentrated, and very impressive upon release. 1995 was a wet, cold Winter and Spring. Budbreak was delayed; Summer was cool. Harvest was very late, but conducted under cool, dry skies. The ’95 Cabs were hard, closed, and unrelentingly tannic upon release. In 1999, I would have preferred (hell, I did prefer) to drink the ’94 BV PR Cab rather than its successor.
     Tasted last week, the ’94 BV PR Cab was squat and stodgy compared to its ’95 brother. Nothing wrong with it; just that its singing days are clearly numbered. Its vaunted fruitiness was diminishing and dehydrated. Twenty minutes swirling in the glass left the ’94 bent over gasping with its hands on its knees. The ’95 was much more lively in the glass. No longer tight, its walnut pesto bouquet was rich, deep, and obvious to everyone in the room. It was longer on the palate, and in the memory. It finished with the reminder of black stone fruits, and it maintained that impression for an hour. Today, I wouldn’t be disappointed with either wine served by itself. But I’d be much happier with the ’95, if I got my choice after tasting them both side-by-side.

Wine-Food Pairing

     Beef is on the menu for most people when Beaulieu Private Reserve is on the sideboard. But I think not roast beef. I think the key is grilled beef, and that implies a smokey flavor. It is a natural match with the heated leather overtones in the bouquet of bottle-aged Cabernet Sauvignon. Moreover, I don’t mind doing a little chewing when enhanced flavor is part of the deal. That implies tougher cuts, maybe grass-fed beef, longer marinade times. Think Argentine-style indoor grill.
     BV PR is a good investment wine. Not in the sense of money for resale. But certainly in the sense of consistency, reliability, and track record. Laying some bottles down, from adroitly selected vintages, for ten years of maturation in your cellar is always a good idea. It is a strategy which will allow you to drink well-developed Cabernet at a noteworthy financial savings: comparable to investing the same amount of money at an interest rate of 7% compounded annually. Call it portfolio diversification; very liquid assets.