This very limited bottling of 2013 Clone 6 Cabernet Sauvignon demonstrates the unique characteristics of this single, outstanding clone during an extraordinary vintage. The powerful dark-fruit aromas and classic Cabernet flavors of black currant, blackberry and dark plum intertwine into an almost deep fruit compote style with savory notes of black olive, black licorice, espresso, sweet anise spice and toasty vanilla oak. The mouth-pleasing tannins are present, lush and smooth, guaranteed to broaden as the wine ages, but are incredibly focused and linear when enjoying the wine in its youth. This wine is opulent, concentrated and pronounced, exhibiting a muscular strength and intensity while being incredibly balanced. While enjoyable now, this wine will continue to develop complexity in the bottle.
Varietal | Cabernet Sauvignon |
---|---|
Vintage | 2013 |
Appellation | Napa Valley |
Blend | 100% Cabernet Sauvignon |
Oak Treatment | 21 months in French oak, with 100% new barrels. |
Alcohol % | 14.7% |
Enclosure Type | Cork |
Case Production | 285 cases |
pH | 3.73 |
"A real head-turner, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Clone 6 is fabulous. Parcels at the back of the BV's #1 and #2 vineyards, which lie at the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains, form the backbone for this wine. The 2013 is explosive, gloriously ripe and structured, with more than enough depth and richness to stand up to the tannins. There is so much to admire. Graphite, lavender, smoke, licorice and tar are some of the many notes that run through a core of intense dark fruit in this deeply expressive, virile Cabernet from BV. In a word: superb." - Antonio Galloni, Vinous, January 2017
"Very dark and blue fruits with lead pencil and granite undertones on the nose. Floral undertones, too. Full body, tight tension with lots of blackberries and a black-olive character. A big and burly red. Yet, it remains in check and focused. Needs two or three years to soften.” - James Suckling, May 2018
At our state-of-the-art winery, dedicated to the production of our Reserve wines, we hand-sorted the destemmed berries to retain only the highest quality fruit. Cold soaking of the must and gentle punch-downs in open-top fermenters mixed the flavor-rich skins with the juice. Upon completion of primary fermentation, we pressed and transferred the wine to new French oak barrels for in-barrel malolactic fermentation and aging. Because of the uniqueness of the expression of this clonal selection of Cabernet Sauvignon, we treat this wine as a special-lot or single-vineyard wine.
Jeffrey Stambor joined the Beaulieu Vineyard winemaking team in 1989 as a viticulturist/enologist. As the current director of winemaking, he leads production of the winery’s world-renowned Georges de Latour Cabernet Sauvignon, and presided over the harvest and vinification of 2013 Rarity – the extremely limited release Cabernet Sauvignon blend. He is only the fourth director of winemaking in Beaulieu Vineyard’s history, and the third to craft Georges de Latour Private Reserve over the 77-year history of that iconic wine following Andre Tchelistcheff, the original winemaker, and his immediate predecessor, Joel Aiken.
The 2013 vintage even surpassed the highly touted 2012 vintage in grape quality. A very low-rainfall winter was followed by a dry, warm spring and nearly ideal summer. These factors resulted in balanced vine canopies, excellent fruit set and small, concentrated grapes. Perfect weather throughout harvest fostered intense, beautifully balanced and expressive wines. Truly an extraordinary vintage in which the wines will need time to open up and age if enjoyed early, but will have tremendous potential for allowing the wines to age and evolve.
In 1980, we began a 14-year series of trials in conjunction with UC Davis, to identify Cabernet Sauvignon clones best suited to our Rutherford Bench terroir. Two clones (4 and 6) were ultimately selected for grafting to rootstocks planted in the well-draining, alluvial fan soils of our estate vineyards. As a component of our Georges de Latour and other reserve Cabernet Sauvignons, Clone 4 gives the blend pronounced, lush, full flavors and has softer, more approachable tannins in its youth. Also known as the Mendoza clone, it was identified and isolated in Argentina and then brought to the United States. Known for its larger berries and tighter berry cluster, resulting in a Cabernet with lush, round and opulent style.
To create a better experience for you across all of our brands, we’ll check this info with accounts across the Treasury Wine Estates Portfolio of brands: Beringer, Beaulieu Vineyard, Etude, Hewitt Vineyard, Stags' Leap, Sterling, Penfolds, and TheWineShop.
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