Saturday night was housewarming night for my hubby and me. For that special event I had two excellent Cabernet Sauvignons: Beaulieu Vineyard "George De LaTour" Private Reserve 2006 and Chateau St. Jean "Cinq Cepages" 2005 (thanks for that gift Dustin!).The George De LaTour (a prize from a drawing at temple) is the flagship of the BV offerings and it definitely showed why. The color is deeply violet indicating a richness that was to come. The wine is medium-to-full bodied with concentrated black fruits (blackberries are very prominent) with a hint of dustiness. The wine was strong yet supple with fine black fruit and licorice with silky tannins and a nice dryness that was hinted in the dusty nose, all coming together to a long delicious finish.
The Chateau St. Jean "Cinq Cepages" was a treasure. A Bordeaux-style blend consisting of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. Each component is aged separately for two years in small French oak barrels (47% new) before blending. Once the wine is assembled, it spends six months in the bottle before release. Wow! This wine was a deep violet as well with a beautiful nose of black and blue fruits with just a hint of cola. This full-bodied wine had dryness similar to the De LaTour with likewise silky tannins and hint of red cherries wrapped up in the finish that made it a pleasure to imbibe.
Number of wines reviewed in 2010: 30 (boy am I behind)
