Beaulieu Napa Cabernet

Some of the best bottles of Napa wines I've consumed over the years have come from Beaulieu Vineyards.  The sad part is that most of them came from the 1970's.  A 20 year old 1970 Georges de Latour Reserve that I drank in 1991 certainly has a high place on my list of ten best wines to pass my lips.

For a number of years my "go to" Napa cabernet sauvignon was the BV Rutherford bottling.  For years it was high quality and under $20.  That's not the case with the price anymore.

Moving down a step farther is the BV Napa bottling from the 2009 vintage, which is what I opened last night. 

The best thing about it is that it tastes like Napa Valley cabernet.  Rich fruit, with dark berries and plums predominating.  Full bodied with good acid and tannin and a bit of oak on the front end.  The wine seemed to fade just a bit in the middle but finished well with fruit and oak.  The very end was dark, dry, and perhaps a bit bitter - a taste I particularly liked.  The bitterness more like unsweetened chocolate and was not at all out of place. Nothing to make one turn a cartwheel here, but a good, solid wine at a fair price.  It's a wine to drink now or hold for a couple of years.

There was a tri-tip beef roast cooked medium rare on the grill and a side dish of rosemary and garlic roasted potatoes.  Perfect match for a good cabernet.

2009 Beaulieu Vineyards BV, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley.  14.5% alcohol and $17.99.