Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve 2013

Professional Ratings

• 98 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
  The Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve was the first wine I ever saw on our family dinner table. My dad, who was not a wine drinker, made this his go-to wine for any special occasion—holidays and special family gatherings. As a young retailer—a long time ago—I recall the 1970 as one of the first "great" wines that I sold to our customers. One could say that I cut my teeth on the Georges de Latour. The 2013 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve, a magnificent wine—ranking up there with the winery's incredible 1951, the formidable 1958, the substantial 1968, and the irrepressible 1970—is one of the very best wines from one of Napa Valley's finest vintages. The wine is deep in color and offers cassis, pencil lead, and savory dust in its aromas and flavors. The seamlessness of the wine is admirable. Though the wine is just beginning to reveal its tremendous pedigree, you can put this one in the bank as a treasure for the cellar. (Tasted: April 18, 2017, San Francisco, CA)
• 97 James Suckling
  Love the aromas of mint, blackcurrants, stones, black licorice and flowers. Full-bodied, dense and tight with layers of very, very fine and velvety tannins and a long and fantastic finish. Wonderful length and texture. A classic. Drink in 2020.
• 95 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  One of the two flagship cuvées, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve Georges de Latour is a fabulous wine. Obviously, this is the one wine that received the most meticulous attention from their outside consultant Michel Rolland. A great effort in 2013, as one might expect in this vintage, this wine needs 5-6 years and seems capable of lasting 30-40 or more, given the history of the great BV Private Reserves. Inky purple to the rim, with an extraordinary nose of créme de cassis and kirsch, licorice, cedarwood, and a touch of underbrush, the wine hits the palate with a full-bodied, powerful, concentrated, dense style, has great acidity, moderately sweet tannin, and a long, long finish. This wine is young and still slightly unformed, but loaded with potential and upside. Forget it for 5-6 years and drink it over the following half-century. Rating: 95+
• 94 Wine Enthusiast
  Velvety and plush on the palate, this classic Cabernet offers firm, youthful tannins and full-bodied concentration of dense black fruit. Cedar, dried herb and tobacco scents frame its core, broadcasting a burning intensity and sanguine chewiness. Cellar and enjoy best 2023–2033. Cellar Selection
• 92 Connoisseurs' Guide
  If showing no lack of ripeness, this wine never loses its way and boasts clear varietal character of currants, black cherries, tea leaves and even a hint of coffee in its deeply fruited, rich yet tight aromas and flavors. Its classic lines are accompanied by more than enough tannin and solidity to see the wine through a minimum of five to ten years of growing maturity, yet there are already glimmers of polish and suppleness here and we would not be at all surprised if this wine were still alive and kicking in some two decades and more.
• 91 Wine Spectator
  Impressively elegant and refined, exhibiting a graceful, understated array of harmonious flavors, with currant, anise, cedar and tobacco details amid crushed rock and loamy earth notes. Firms nicely on the finish, where the flavors linger. Drink now through 2030.
• 90 Wine & Spirits
  A superrich vintage of this classic Rutherford Cabernet, this is concentrated with gentle power. The fruit is youthfully blunt in its primary grape flavor, the tannins brash with their oak extract. But there's a floral buzz and some tension to the structure that predicts a long life ahead.