#2 wine of the year! Wine spectator 2024

Beaulieu Vineyard’s Georges de Latour has a long history, dating to its inaugural vintage of 1936. De Latour himself hired the legendary André Tchelistcheff as winemaker in 1938; Tchelistcheff would go on to steward the bottling for the next 35 years. Select vintages from his tenure across the 1950s, ’60s and early ’70s are considered benchmark wines for California Cabernet. After a rocky period through the 1980s and ’90s, BV is enjoying a renaissance, with a new winery built in 2008 and additional investment after the winery was acquired by Treasury Wine Estates in 2016. Winemaker Trevor Durling was hired in 2017 and hit a high note with this classic-rated 2021 in a superb vintage.

Tasting Note

This is packed with dark, winey flavors of black currant and blackberry paste underscored with alder, sweet tobacco, warm paving stone and black licorice notes, while a violet accent fills the background. The polished finish makes this accessible now, but there’s plenty of life ahead. Drink now through 2042.—James Molesworth