Showing posts with label cork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cork. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Beaulieu Vineyards Tapestry 2005

Beaulieu Vineyards Tapestry Reserve Napa Valley Red Wine 2005

Opened this on a weeknight with a course of artisan cheeses ... readers of this blog know I taste quite of a bit of wine and tonight I had a first time unique wine experience. ... I was opening this fourteen year old Bordeaux Blend and when pulling the cork, it was out 7/8 of the way when suddenly it popped and gushed out of the bottle. The cork broke off the end and somehow there was pressure in the bottle that released as the end of the cork was released.

Beaulieu Vineyards ("Beau lieu" - A Beautiful Place) are one of the most storied and prolific Napa Valley producers founded by Georges de Latour in 1900. The picturesque historic cellars are a landmark on the St Helena highway in the town of Rutherford. Today they produce a broad portfolio of labels including a broad selection of Reserve wines.

BV Tapestry is a classic Bordeaux Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot. Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc from outstanding Napa Valley vineyards. Special reserve lots are vinified separately and aged for 21 months in small barrels. They are then carefully blended to create a wine that is both elegant and opulent with dark fruit character and plush texture.

Generally, BV Tapestry has delivered high QPR - quality price ratio for a sophisticated Bordeaux Blend from Napa Valley. It is one of the labels that does a remarkable job to consistently produce high quality in large quantities - a daunting feat but testament to their vast vineyard sources and resources.

Cellartracker records show we hold more than four cases of a dozen different vintages of this label dating back to the 1994 vintage release. 

At fourteen years, this was starting to show its age and was losing its fruit, giving way to non-fruit character of green pepper, leather, wet wood, earth and hints of cedar and floral.


In 2017 I wrote this of this label ...

At a dozen years of age, this vintage is perhaps at its apex, not likely to improve further with any aging.

This was blackish dark garnet colored, medium full-body, moderate structure, predominant black fruits, cherry and plum accented by notes of charcoal, hints of creosote, spice, herb and mineral on the finish.

RM 89 points. Tonight, I give it 88 reflecting some diminution of aging.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=531966