A larger format bottle inside the wine library at Beaulieu’s Reserve Room

1960 St. Helena Highway, Rutherford, CA 94573

Website: http://www.bvwines.com/

Beaulieu Vineyard winery is a historic landmark in Napa Valley. It was founded by Frenchman Georges de Latour in 1900 and is one of the few wineries to survive the Prohibition years.

A statue of Andre Tchelistcheff

In 1938, the famed winemaker André Tchelistcheff joined the winery after studying viticulture and enology at the Pasteur Institute in France. He is noted for revolutionizing winemaking at Beaulieu and throughout Napa Valley with his many innovations for improving the quality of wine and push to increase sanitation levels in the wineries. André also served as a consultant and mentor to many other well established winemakers, including Joseph Heitz, Mike Grgich, and Robert Mondavi. The original winery building is still in use today. The building is covered in ivy and has large wooden doors that mark the entrance to the winery. It is a stunning sight to see when the ivy is in bloom.

Maestro Tasting Room at Beaulieu Vineyard

When we pulled into the parking lot at Beaulieu, signs pointed to two available tastings rooms. The Main Tasting Room, also referred to as the Maestro Tasting Room, offers tastings of Beaulieu’s Maestro Collection wines. Upon walking into this tasting room I felt like I was walking into a very large wine library. The wine tasting bar is on one side of the room, and bottles of wine line the walls on the opposite side. There are also video screens placed around the tasting room that provide visitors with information about the vineyards and winemaking process at Beaulieu. For visitors who are more interested in Reserve Cabernet Sauvignons or a private tasting, the Georges De Latour Tasting Room across the parking lot provides tastings of the Georges de Latour Private Reserve and Library Collection wines. Visitors can also experience a private tasting in their own private room by reservation.

Georges de Latour Reserve Tasting Room at Beaulieu Vineyard

I have been inside each of the tasting rooms and enjoyed both for different reasons. The Maestro Tasting room has a more laid back atmosphere and the staff was very friendly both times I visited. The George De Latour Tasting room is much more elegant with its stone walls and marble tasting bar. I personally enjoyed the wines I sampled in both rooms. Typically I lean more toward the casual tasting rooms, but for this winery in particular I would definitely recommend doing a tasting in the George De Latour room. The tasting fee is a little hefty but not so bad if you split with a friend or significant other. It is worth it in my opinion to be able to sample the famed Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and other reserve wines that can cost over $100 a bottle.