For more than 100 years, Beaulieu Vineyard has been setting the standard for rich, classic Napa Valley wines. Our legacy honors the marriage between state-of-the-art technology and gentle, traditional winemaking methods, a combination that enhances the expression of our remarkable vineyard terroir. From Calistoga in the north to Carneros in the south, our Beaulieu Vineyard Napa Valley wines reflect this region's diverse terroir with classic varietal character.
Tasting Notes:
This 2017 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon is a tremendous expression of its AVA terroir exhibiting intense saturation of color, aromas and flavors. The bouquet shows a dark fruit profile with blackberry, black currant and cassis notes alongside oak barrel nuances of root spice and molasses. On the palate, there are darker fruit notes supported by hints of dark chocolate, mocha and coffee. The structured “Rutherford dust” tannins are fine grained and very focused for this vintage, showcasing the signature fine cocoa powder texture and expansive mouthfeel. Incredible depth and balance, supported by velvety rich textured tannins, leading to a persistent lengthy finish, showing concentration and refinement.
Vintage:
The 2017 vintage in the Napa Valley was smaller yielding but high in quality. The region enjoyed much needed rain during the winter months ending the drought. A short period of warmer than usual temperatures during Labor Day weekend accelerated harvest for early ripening grapes varieties, resulting in an intense and, at times, unpredictable harvest. Though yields were lower than usual, the wines show exceptional flavor intensity and conditions were perfect for producing a Cabernet with beautiful fruit as well as tremendous concentration of flavors, highly saturated color, and layers of complexity.
Vineyard:
We selected 80% of the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes for this wine from vineyard blocks in our historic BV Ranches No. 1, No. 2 and No.10, which provided the concentrated dark-fruit character and firm structure that we desired. These vineyards, located on the Rutherford Bench, have alluvial fan soils—composed of gravel, sand and loam—that allow the vines to root deeply and develop complex minerality in the grapes. The balance came from highly regarded growers whom we have worked closely with us for many years.
Winemaking:
We cold soaked the destemmed grapes for two to three days for gentle flavor extraction, which develops the elegant, layered fruit expression that is inherent in Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon. During the eight- to twelve-day fermentation, we pumped over the cap to incorporate the flavor-rich skins into the juice. To balance the bold fruit expression with toasty oak character, we chose more than 50% new oak for barrel aging and added Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah and Merlot to enhance the complex flavor profile.
- Varietal Composition:
- 88% Cabernet Sauvignon
- 7% Petit Verdot
- 3% Merlot
- 2% Petite Sirah
- Vinification: Aged 16 months in French, American and European oak, with more than (50% new)
- Alc: 14.6%
- TA: 6.3 g/L
- pH: 3.8