The King of Wines

If you were going to name the grape King, which varietal?

I think of Cabernet as King - and in the Napa Valley the first king was Georges de Latour. This is a portrait of the 1977 BV Georges de Latour enjoyed when it was 6 years old.

Of course, Georges was not a grape, he inaugurated Rutherford and then Oakville, as the place to plant cabernet grapes in 1900.... He began the famous Beaulieu Vineyards, hired Andre Tchelistcheff to turn grapes into fine wine...and Napa, California and of course, the US of Appellation became famous for its excellent cabernet. When Georges died his wife named the primo cab of that year BV Private Reserve Georges de Latour. BV

Since I enjoy wine through flavor and its microscopic imprints - when I tasted that 1977 BV GLT, it tasted big, brawny, a bit hard on my still young palatte. In my early wine drinking days after Mateus and Lancers, Chateau LaSalle I discovered merlot. Sterling merlot was the first red wine I could enjoy - way back when I was a novice taster. I still am, only been doing it longer. Cabs were too harsh for me, and I hadn't learned the trick of how salty food can cut back the harshness. Nonetheless, the microscopic impression of BV Cab pointed out to me its primary style via microstructure. Now I love the nuances in a mature cab.