Beaulieu Vineyards Tapestry Reserve with Steaks
Twice in the last week we’ve grilled out steaks and opened this Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend which proved to be a perfect accompaniment.
Last Thursday night we had an impromptu dinner with kids and grandkids, Linda grilled a flank steak served with baked potatoes, asparagus and tossed salad. I pulled from the cellar this aged Napa Bordeaux Red Blend as an accompaniment.
This was a perfect food-wine pairing and as I write often in these pages, an optimal pairing enhanced the enjoyment of both.
We hold a dozen and half vintages of this wine dating back three decades. I find it a good QPR (quality-price-ratio) red blend to have on hand for such occasions.
On last Thursday evening, we opened the Beaulieu Vineyards Tapestry Reserve 2003.
This iconic label Tapestry Reserve is from the iconic historic Napa Valley producer Beaulieu Vineyards, that dates back to 1900. French founder Georges de Latour initially bought a small, four-acre property in the town of Rutherford as a surprise for his wife. The land eventually became the foundation for Beaulieu Vineyards. The producer survived Prohibition by having one of a handful of contracts to supply churches with sacramental wine. After Prohibition the winery grew and continued to thrive, experimenting with varietals, blends and aging. Under the direction of the legendary André Tchelistcheff, the winery became one of California's preeminent producers.
Tchelistcheff, trained as a wine master in France, shaped the character of BV’s wines during the 1950s and 1960s. Today the winery is famous the breadth and depth of its portfolio, anchored by its flagship, BV Georges de Latour Private Reserve, but also includes, besides Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel.
The landmark Beaulieu Vineyards estate winery sits prominently on Napa Valley Highway 29 in Rutherford. It has grown to one of the pre-eminent Napa Valley producers, through acquisition of vineyards in other parts of Napa Valley, the winery owns 1,029 acres and produces a total of 750,000 bottles a year.
I’ve written about Beaulieu Vineyards and the Tapestry Reserve label often in these pages, notably in this more detailed feature back in 2023 - BV Tapestry with Beef bourguignon.
We hold nearly two dozen vintages of this popular label going back to a few remaining bottles of a full case acquired from the highly acclaimed 1997 vintage. Interesting that that vintage was uniquely packaged in a premium heavier, slightly larger bottle than all the others. It consistently offers sophisticated drinking for a high QPR - Quality Price Ratio, often rivaling the much more expensive flagship label. We strive to keep this label in stock, replenishing consumed bottles with current vintage releases for reliable, quality, sophisticated wine to pair with grilled beefsteak, or enjoyable sipping such as this.
This label dates back to its inaugural release in 1990, Tapestry Reserve is a tribute to the producer’s French heritage and the classic world renowned Bordeaux blends and Clarets. It is sourced 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”.
About half of the Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the western benchland of the Rutherford American Viticultural Area (AVA), and the balance from the Calistoga, Howell Mountain and St Helena AVAs.
It also contains in the traditional Bordeaux Blend, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec, all sourced exclusively from BV estate vineyards in Calistoga, Knights Valley, Rutherford and Yountville. Also, Cabernet Franc, added to lend complexity, depth and “intrigue”, comes from Howell Mountain.
At twenty-four years, this label, foil, and most importantly the cork and fill level were still pristine. I selected this older vintage as part of cellar inventory management, drinking an older vintage before it wanes from diminution of aging past its prime drinking window. It was a pleasant surprise that this turned out to be a Goldilocks bottle, not too young, not too old, still at the apex of its drinking window/profile.
We've been fans of BV Tapestry for a long time with our collection dating back a dozen vintages to the mid-nineties. Tapestry as it's name so aptly states, is a blend of classic Bordeaux varietals of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and accent portions of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. The predominant Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from the historic BV Ranches No.1 and No. 2 vineyards in Rutherford, selected from specific blocks of reserve-quality grapes that give Tapestry the combined attributes of rich character and softer tannins for relatively early approachability. To complement the Rutherford Bench Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot is added from Beaulieu’s vineyard in the Los Carneros region and the remaining grapes in the Blend from various Napa Valley vineyards.
Beaulieu Vineyard Reserve wines are handcrafted from the finest grapes of the vintage, focusing on premier estates in Rutherford, Carneros and other Napa Valley appellations. For more than 100 years, Beaulieu Vineyard has set the benchmark for rich, classic Napa Valley wines. Their legacy honors the marriage between state-of-the-art technology and gentle, traditional winemaking methods, a combination that enhances the expression of their remarkable vineyard terroir.
Georges and Fernande de Latour bought their first four acres in Napa Valley’s Rutherford region in 1900. Steadily, they increased their property, purchasing 127 acres in 1903, what’s now called BV Ranch No. 1, with BV Ranch No. 2 following in 1907. From the start, they imported vines from Europe that were resistant to phylloxera, a pest that destroys the roots and leaves of grape vines. These performed beautifully in the area’s Mediterranean climate. Always aspiring to lift the quality of Napa Valley as a whole, Georges offered them to fellow growers as well.
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, Howell Mountain and St Helena AVAs. The Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec are sourced exclusively from our estate vineyards in Calistoga, Knights Valley, Rutherford and Yountville. The Cabernet Franc lends complexity, depth and intrigue, coming from Howell Mountain.
Beaulieu Vineyard "Tapestry Reserve" Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend 2003
That release was rated 90 points by Wine Advocate and wrote this about this tasting, “This 2003 Beaulieu Vineyard "Tapestry Reserve" exhibits a more complex nose than its more famous and expensive sibling, the Georges de Latour. I enjoyed it slightly more because of its nuances and additional complexity.”
This release is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.
Winemaker Notes - “Nearly opaque black-ruby in color, the 2003 Tapestry Reserve strongly showcases the concentration that came from this late-ripening vintage. Exotic aromas of black olive, dark cherry, vanilla-rosemary oak spice and dark cocoa with anise lead to rich, medium-full-bodied flavors of cedar, tobacco, dark currant and olives. The tannins are rich but not harsh.”
RM 90 points.
Then, a week later, last night, we opened the Beaulieu Vineyard Tapestry Reserve 2008. I opened this to go with rib-eye steak left over from the other night, served as steak sandwiches with avocado. This was another deliciously perfect pairing - enhancing the enjoyment of both the food and the wine.
This release was awarded 91 points by Wine Spectator and 90 points by Connoisseurs’ Guide.
Winemaker Notes - “Weaving together five classic varietals, our 2008 Beaulieu Vineyard Reserve Tapestry begins with deep, briary blackberry and cassis character from Cabernet Sauvignon. Velvety black-cherry character comes from a generous blending of Merlot, while Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot add violet, licorice, forest loam and graphite nuances, as well as deep hues and texture. Tapestry elegantly demonstrates the art of blending varietals to create a wine that combines multilayered flavors with supple, graceful tannin structure.”
Like the other vintage releases this is a blend of designated Bordeaux varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot.
At eighteen years of age, this is at the apex of its drinking window and while it won’t improve with any further aging, it should drink well for another five years or more.
The foil and label, and most importantly, the fill level and cork were still pristine - evidence of the ideal conditions for aging in our cellar.
In this blogpost back in 2020, Beaulieu Vineyard Tapestry Reserve 2008, I wrote, “ We still hold three bottles of this release. This is aging very nicely as tonight's tasting eight years later was consistent with the last tasting note back in 9/14/2012 when I wrote: "Wow. Immediately I stated that this is the most expressive Tapestry I can remember with its vibrant full floral perfume. Dark ruby color with a slight purple hue, medium-full bodied, polished, smooth and nicely balanced - big bright vibrant expressive floral tones that are pervasive throughout accented by sweet ripe black currant and black berry fruits, a layer of vanilla, hint of cassis and tangy cinnamon spice and pleasant sweet oak with fine smooth polished tannins with that clinging long floral essence that holds for minutes.This was remarkably approachable for such a recent vintage. Barrel aged in 50% new oak."
Very enjoyable, this was pleasant, approachable sophisticated yet easy sipping.
RM 91 points.
