2009 Beaulieu Rsv Chardonnayproduct-pdf - Carneros, Napa Valley - "Classic" by a Winery Legend Why We're Drinking It What do you get when you take the cool Carneros climate and combine it with a Napa Valley legacy that dates back to the days when only a handfull of wineries scattered across the valley? This wine here.

The 2009 Beaulieu Vineyard Reserve is part of the admirable heritage of Napa Valley and brings together the kind of historic greatness that led California to beat the French in the 1976 Tasting. Classically styled in a people-pleasing balance among fruit, oak, and acidity, it shows loads of tropical fruit with peach and pear notes that leave a lasting, lingering impression. Drink now or age for 5 years; either way, it's the in-bottle expression of Napa Valley heritage.

Inside Fact: What's in a name? "Beau lieu" translates to beautiful place in French; here, that beaulieu comes from Ranches No. 8 and No. 9 in the cool, windy Los Carneros AVA at the southernmost tip of Napa Valley. These vines, grafted to Dijon clones 95 and 76, yield small, intensely flavored berries. The region’s shallow clay-loam soils and marine-influenced climate foster ripe, beautifully balanced Chardonnay character.

Tasting Notes From the winery: Our 2009 Reserve Carneros Chardonnay offers luscious layers of tropical Chardonnay fruit, peach, apricot and pear expression from our finest Chardonnay APPELLATION grapes. We handcrafted the wine with barrel fermentation, malolactic Carneros fermentation and sur lie barrel aging to weave complex notes of baking ALCOHOL spices and crème brûlée through the lush fruit expression. The excellent 14.50 2009 growing season retained ideal acidity in the grapes, which gave the SIZE wine crisp vibrancy to balance the creamy flavors and silky texture. 750ml BLEND 100% Chardonnay

The Story to Know Winemaker Notes: We hand harvested the Chardonnay into small bins in the early morning and rushed them to our winery. After gently pressing the whole clusters, we barrel fermented 88 percent of the wine in small oak barrels for complexity, with the balance in stainless steel tanks for pure fruit expression. Gentle bâtonnage (stirring) during eight months of sur lie (on the yeast) aging enhanced the rich, silky texture and integrated the creamy notes from partial (60 percent) malolactic fermentation.

About the Winery: "Beau lieu" - A Beautiful Story about a Beautiful Place In 1900, when Georges de Latour's wife, Fernande, first laid eyes on the land that would become their original Rutherford vineyard, she named it "beau lieu," or "beautiful place." Shortly thereafter, de Latour sold his thriving cream of tartar business, bought the four-acre ranch and founded Beaulieu Vineyard with the vision of making Napa Valley wines that would rival those of his native France.

De Latour quickly made a name for himself by importing Phylloxera-resistant rootstock from Europe to the recently-ravaged fledgling California wine industry. He also began selling wine to the Catholic Church, establishing a strong relationship that would allow Beaulieu Vineyard to become the only Napa Valley winery to remain in business during Prohibition.

In fact, during Prohibition the winery increased its business. After the repeal in 1933, de Latour began searching for someone who could contribute European winemaking expertise. In 1938, he traveled to France and returned with André Tchelistcheff, famed viticulturist and enologist who instituted the philosophy of continuous innovation in vineyard and winery to which we remain dedicated today. Tchelistcheff introduced cold fermentation for white wines, malolactic fermentation for reds and aging red wines in small, French oak barrels. He also tasted the de Latour family's private wine-what they called "Private Reserve"-from the 1936 vintage. This -based wine was so distinctive that Tchelistcheff insisted it be bottled and sold as the winery's flagship offering. The result was the inaugural release of Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine that was destined to become Napa Valley's first "cult" Cabernet.

Today we continue to turn to innovative practices to craft wines in our bold, classic style. We have become a leader in clonal research, and our BV Clone Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon wines are highly acclaimed. Most recently we completed a new state-of-the-art winery within one of our original buildings. The Georges de Latour Private Reserve Winery utilizes the latest technology in combination with time-honored traditions for the production of this exceptional, wine-the longtime benchmark of Rutherford Cabernet.

Perfect Pairings Seared scallops in a lemon-cream sauce or creamed chicken on a sourdough bun.

Ratings 93 Insider Points

Reviews This is the classically styled, Reserve Chardonnay that people are always looking for. One with all the bells and whistles, barrel fermented, full malolactic and lees aging are all designed to create a Chardonnay of power and depth. Loads of tropical fruit, with peaches and pears showing through, the wine has some weight to it and leaves a lasting, lingering impression.-PM