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2020 Beaulieu Vineyard Clone 169 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon

2020 Beaulieu Vineyard Clone 169 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon

2020 Beaulieu Vineyard Clone 169 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon

$190.00
Bottle
Price $190.00
$2,280.00
Case (12)
Price $2,280.00

Tasting Notes

The 2020 Clone 169 Cabernet Sauvignon is a wine that exudes elegance and finesse from the very first sip. On the nose, it unveils hints of cassis, blueberry, and plum. The aromas are further complemented by hints of violet and bittersweet chocolate. On the palate, the wine reveals its true charm. The fine-grained Rutherford Dust tannins provide a plush texture, while the present acidity balances the blend leading to a silky smooth finish. This wine boasts a long and aging-worthy finish, capable of maturing beautifully for up to 20 years.

Technical Information

Varietal Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage 2020
Volume 750mL
Appellation Napa Valley
Blend 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Oak Treatment 22 months in French oak (95% new)
Alcohol % 14.9%
pH 3.66

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 for 22 months. 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.

Vintage

It was a warm, dry winter and the rain and cooler weather didn’t arrive until the end of March. While the mild spring provided a great early start, summer brought very cool mornings and very warm days. The harvest was smaller, and one of the most challenging in history, but our always optimistic team was able to create wines of high quality, with concentrated flavors and excellent acidity, from this unprecedented vintage.

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. 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.