Beaulieu Vineyard (BV) 'Reserve Tapestry' Napa Valley Red Blend

Winery Notes
This is a wine that shows the artistry of blending five Bordeaux-heritage grape varieties, which contributed layer-upon-layer of flavor complexity. Cabernet Sauvignon gave the wine its generous core of briary blackberry and cassis expression, while we increased the amount of Merlot this year to tame the tannins and add plush mid-palate texture. Malbec contributed deep plum notes, while Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot completed the blend with nuances of rose, forest loam and graphite.

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Tasting Notes
The 2018 Tapestry offers a beautiful rusticity in this elegant expression of this tremendous vintage, showing the true artistry of blending five Bordeaux-heritage grape varieties grown within the Napa Valley, which together contribute multi-layered flavors and complexity. The Cabernet Sauvignon imparts a generous core of bramble berry fruits with blackberries, blueberries, black cherry compote and cassis, with hints of anise, while the Merlot brings vibrant, riper notes of plum and dark cherry. The Merlot also softens the tannins and adds a plush texture with notes of black currant and plum on the palate. Malbec contributes fresh wild raspberry notes, while the Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot complete the blend with darker berry fruits and savory spices alongside delicate floral and woodsy nuances of violet, cedar, forest floor and wild sage. Well integrated notes of mocha and molasses also pique the senses incorporated from having been aged in new French oak barrels – which heighten the overall aromatic expression and lengthen the finish. The firm, velvety tannins provide structure and depth, ensuring this wine will live up to its age-worthiness. This is a perfect bridge between old and new world – showing the restraint, elegance and sophistication of Napa Valley and highlighting the 2018 growing season.

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Vintage Notes
The Napa Valley region enjoyed a stunning, near picture-perfect 2018 growing season including good winter rains, mild spring weather and steady temperatures throughout that allowed for even flowering and bud break. These ideal growing conditions were followed by a cool, even and slow-paced harvest which allowed the winery to vinify wines at a gentle pace. The resulting 2018 wines are of very high quality with plenty of concentrated flavors, color and excellent acidity.

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Vineyard Notes
Since its inception in 1990, our Tapestry Reserve has always been a tribute to our French heritage and a nod to the classic Bordeaux blends and Clarets that are world-renowned. We always source from a selection of specific vineyard blocks of top-quality grapes that give Tapestry the combined attributes of terroir expression and a round, approachable tannin structure. Roughly half of the Cabernet Sauvignon was grown on the famous western benchland of the Rutherford American Viticultural Area (AVA) and the balance from the Calistoga, Oakville, and Coombsville AVAs. The Merlot comes from our vineyards in the warmer parts of Carneros and the Rutherford Bench, while the Petit Verdot and Malbec are sourced exclusively from our estate vineyards in Rutherford. The Cabernet Franc is grown on Howell Mountain where berries are small, concentrated and extremely expressive.

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Winemaking Notes
We tailored the winemaking for each varietal to best capture the personality of both the vintage and specific vineyard blocks. Optical sorting, cold soaking and gentle pumpovers along with in-barrel malolactic fermentation all contributed to this wine’s richly textured and complex flavors. Aging in roughly 60% new French oak barrels for 22 months complimented the wine’s impressive depth and freshness.