Beaulieu Vineyard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Beaulieu Vineyard |
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| Location | Napa Valley, USA |
| Appellation | Rutherford AVA |
| Founded | 1900 |
| Key people | Trevor Durling, General Manager and Director of Winemaking |
| Parent company | Treasury Wine Estates |
| Known for | Georges De Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Varietals | Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Sangiovese, Zinfandel, Syrah, Viognier, Merlot, Sauvignon blanc |
| Distribution | national |
| Tasting | open to the public |
Beaulieu Vineyard, often called BV on its labels, is a famous place in California where grapes are grown and wine is made. It's located near a town called Rutherford, in a special wine-growing area known as the Rutherford AVA. A couple named Georges and Fernande de Latour started this vineyard way back in 1900.
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History of Beaulieu Vineyard
Beaulieu Vineyard began in 1900 when Georges and Fernande de Latour bought about 4 acres of land. The name "Beaulieu" comes from a French phrase, "Quel beau lieu." This means "What a beautiful place" in English. The story goes that Fernande said these words when she first saw the land.
The next year, they bought a nearby winery. It was built in 1885 by a California State Senator named Seneca Ewer. Georges de Latour knew a lot about a tiny bug called phylloxera. This bug was destroying many grapevines in the Napa Valley. He decided to bring in a special type of rootstock (the part of the plant that grows underground) that could fight off this pest. This smart move helped him become one of the first important people in California's wine industry.
Surviving Prohibition
When Prohibition started in the United States in 1920, most wineries had to close down. This was a time when making, selling, or transporting alcohol was against the law. However, Beaulieu Vineyard found a way to stay open. They got a special agreement to provide "sacramental wine" to churches across the country. This type of wine is used in religious ceremonies.
During Prohibition, the need for sacramental wine grew a lot. Because of this, Beaulieu Vineyard kept growing and making more wine. By 1933, when Prohibition ended, they were making over 1 million gallons of wine each year!
New Winemaker, Better Wines
After Prohibition ended, Beaulieu Vineyard hired a very talented winemaker named André Tchelistcheff. He came from France. With his help, the quality of Beaulieu's wines got much better. Tchelistcheff also became a teacher and guide for other important winemakers. Some of his students included Mike Grgich and Robert Mondavi, who later became very famous in the wine world.
By the 1940s, Beaulieu wines were so good that they were served at important events at the White House. This shows how well-known and respected their wines had become.
Beaulieu's Place in History
In the 1950s and 1960s, Beaulieu was seen as one of the "big four" best wine producers in the Napa Valley. The other three were Inglenook, Charles Krug, and Louis Martini.
In 1981, there was a special wine tasting event in Ottawa, Canada. A 1970 bottle of Beaulieu Vineyard George de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon wine won second place. This showed that their wines were still among the best in the world.
In 1969, a large company called Heublein Inc. bought Beaulieu Vineyard. Over the years, Beaulieu Vineyard was owned by different big companies. In 2016, it was sold to Treasury Wine Estates, which is its current owner.
