Beaulieu Vineyard

2018 Reserve Clone 169 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon

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

2018 Reserve Clone 169 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon

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750mL

This very limited bottling of the 2018 Clone 169 Cabernet Sauvignon demonstrates the unique characteristics of a wine made from vines planted to this single, outstanding clone during the exceptional 2018 vintage. Full of flavor and intensity, this Cabernet shows lovely red berry fruit and floral aromas and characters. A fragrant bouquet of rose petal, lavender, red currant, cassis, and Bing cherry sits alongside fresh savory notes of mint, cinnamon, clove, cola, vanilla spice, tea leaf and potpourri, all a tribute to the Rutherford terroir and nuances from the well-integrated oak aging. The fine-grained cocoa-powder Rutherford Dust tannins are plush while the wine is silky, smooth and approachable with a generous texture showcasing great finesse and elegance. Vibrant acidity supports the core of red fruit and depth of the lengthy mouthwatering finish. While enjoyable now, this wine will continue to develop complexity in the bottle and will age well for another 20+ years when stored at ideal cellar temperatures.
95 pts
“A new wine in the clone series, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 169 is silky, aromatic and wonderfully nuanced, with a distinct red fruit character. All the elements come together in a very pretty, elegant wine. Rose petal, lavender, mint and sweet spice are all knit together in bright, sensual Cabernet loaded with class.”
Antonio Galloni, Vinous, March 2021

Technical info

Alcohol 14.3%
Varietal Cabernet Sauvignon
Blend 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation Napa Valley

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 gently extracted the flavor-rich skins into the juice. Upon completion of primary fermentation, we pressed the skins and transferred the wine into new French oak barrels for in-barrel malolactic fermentation and aging. 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 Napa Valley region enjoyed a stunning, near picture-perfect 2018 growing season including good winter rains, mild spring weather and steady temperatures throughout that allowed for even flowering and bud break. These ideal growing conditions were followed by a cool, even and slow-paced harvest which allowed the winery to vinify wines at a gentle pace. The resulting 2018 Cabernets are of very high quality with plenty of concentrated flavors, color and excellent acidity.

Vineyard

The Cabernet 169 clone is a French, Bordeaux clone that first came to the US and was planted by UC Davis in 2003. Since then, it has been gaining popularity in all the major Cabernet growing regions, and is especially prolific on Mount Veeder within Napa Valley, although our Clone 169 is primarily sourced from our Estate Rutherford benchland vineyards. 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. 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. The wine can be higher in alcohol, depending on the winemaking style and it was created to produce a big, bold Cabernet with intense complexity. The color is a vibrant, deep red and the mouth feel tends to be powerful with a lingering finish. This grape is definitely for the adventurous winemaker.

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