Could it already be two weeks since the visit to HermitQueen's Napa domicile? And here, I am still recounting the tales of wine. One of the places we visited was Beaulieu Vineyard (BV). The tasting room is in downtown St. Helena with lush green trees covering the façade of the buildings. When we went to BV, the skies were gray and a light rain was beginning. It was as if the gods of wine and bounty wanted us to visit and taste some wine.

Ever since seeing the reserve tasting room in the Mondavi estate, we have decided to skip the cheap stuff and go straight to the stuff we desired but could not afford. The reserve tasting room for Beaulieu was elegant and bright. Each flight (I guess this means each set of wine to be tasted) was $25. The list was as follows:

2000 Carneros Reserve Chadonnay ($28)
2000 Carneros Reserve Pinot Noir($35)
1991 Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($99)
1999 Tapestry Reserve ($45)
1999 Georges de Latour private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (100)

The '91 and '99 Cabernet were very, very good. We ended up buying the '91 cabernet because it was smoother. The taste was refined, soft and subtle. The '99 on the other hand was full of taste, which was endearing to my tastebuds, but too much for other people's.

On the other hand and in hindsight, if you don't remember anything about wine at all, remember that in 1999, Napa had a great harvest. This year is going to be a classic. So perhaps, we should have brought the 1999 George de Latour. But with a budget, you don't always get what you want. I would have preferred to buy both bottles just to see how they would taste after ten years.

The following are the descriptions written by Beaulieu Vineyard:

2000 Carneros Reservve Chardonnay. Brilliant yellow-green gold color. This vintage reveals at an early age a complex bouquet of toasted nuts, vanilla and apple pear, with a hint of dairy cream. The flavors are quite full-bodied and very fruit forward. With rich pear and honey fruit, solid acidity strengthened by a rich viscous texture and a lovely complete finish with fruit and oak strongly integrated. Lush yet vibrant, this vintage has great balance and intentsity. This vintage is aged in 80% French oak and 20% American oak for 9 months. It should age well for 2-3 years and would make a fine accompaniment to roasted chicken or a grilled seabass with a lemon beurre blanc.

2000 Carneros Reserve Pinot Noir. Medium dark-ruby color. Rich, dark cherry and black pepper aromas, with hints of spicy-vanilla oak, smoke and anise demonstrate excellent varietal character. Medium full-bodied, this vintage also shows bright acidity married to ripe tannins and rich cherry/plum and cocoa flavors. The velvety texture, supporting fine tannins, is truly expressive of the best Carneros Pinot Noirs. This vintage is aged in 85% French oak, 10% American oak and 5% Russian oak for 9 months. This wine should age well for up to a decade and will make a fine accompaniment to classic roast meat dishes, grilled duck breast, grilled salmon and savory cheeses like Fontina and aged Gouda.

1991 Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. The 1991 Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon has a beautiful dark ruby color. The aromas of black currant, cherry and toasty oak are especially complex and intense in this vintage. With similar flavors and tremendous depth and richness, this wine will age for several more years with optimum cellaring conditions. The 1991 vintage has an addition of 5% Merlot and was aged in 50% American Oak and 50% French Oak for 20 months.