Beaulieu Vineyard

2022 Clone 169 Cabernet Sauvignon

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A bottle of Reserve Clone 169 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon.
Beaulieu Vineyard

2022 Clone 169 Cabernet Sauvignon

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750mL

An inky cherry color, Beaulieu Vineyard’s 2022 Clone 169 Cabernet is wild at heart. Densely aromatic, its gamey scents of sage, juniper, and saddle leather transport the nose to high mountain chaparral, on a long trail tracking blue fruit, brambles, and traces of caramel. This backcountry character extends to the mouthwatering palate where concentrated cobbler flavors of blueberry and spice stream with juicy acidity across pebbly, textural tannins, to finish dryly with steady drips of lip-smacking, dark berry notes. Age this forthright wine for up to fifteen years, or enjoy it now with rich, flavorful coq au vin, flank steak with chimichurri sauce, or a large turkey leg.

Technical info

Alcohol 14.9%
Varietal Cabernet Sauvignon
Blend 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation Rutherford AVA, Napa Valley
Oak treatment 20 months in French oak (95% new)

Winemaking

At our state-of-the-art winery dedicated exclusively to the production of our Reserve wines, we utilized the latest technology to destem and optically-sort the berries to retain only the highest quality fruit. Cold-soaking of the must and gentle pump-overs extracted the flavor-rich skins into the juice. Upon completion of primary fermentation, we pressed the skins and transferred the wine into French oak barrels to age for 20 months. Because of the unique and wonderful character of this clonal selection, we treat the wine as a separate lot and bottle a very limited amount.
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Vintage

The winter of 2022 was warm and dry, with rain and cooler weather passing through only toward the end of March. The mild spring gave an early start to growing season, while the summer surprised us with cool mornings and warmer afternoons. As a result, the harvest yielded small berries with concentrated flavors and remarkable acidity, from which wines of exceptional balance and taste were derived.

Vineyard

The Cabernet 169 clone is a French, Bordeaux clone that was introduced to the US and planted by UC Davis in 2003. Since then, it has been gaining popularity in all the major Cabernet-growing regions. We conducted a 14-year series of trials in conjunction with UC Davis to identify Cabernet Sauvignon clones best suited to our Rutherford Bench terroir. Clone 169 was ultimately selected for grafting to rootstocks planted in the well-draining, alluvial fan soils of our estate vineyard. As a component of our Georges de Latour and other reserve Cabernet Sauvignons, Clone 169 has good berry size, high vigor, and a well-balanced acid to sugar ratio. It was created to produce a big, bold Cabernet with intense complexity, and the wine can be higher in alcohol, depending on the winemaking style.

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