One of the oldest vineyards in Napa, California–Beaulieu Vineyard–recently underwent a two-year renovation, creating a brand new hospitality center for its visitors. While this vineyard dates back all the way to 1900, the renovation beautifully married the history and legacy of Beaulieu Vineyard with the style and chicness of what people expect when visiting a Napa Valley winery.
I was lucky enough to get to be one of the first people to visit the new space, and heard directly from the team of architects, winemakers and hospitality leads about how this transformation took shape. While getting to sip on the iconic Georges De Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, I explored the space, and I’m confident in saying that this is a winery that you need to add to your Napa Valley “must visit” list.
Related: How I Pack for a 7-Day Trip to Napa With a Single Carry-On
A Palace For History Buffs
Given that Beaulieu Vineyard has such a rich history, it would be a shame if the newly renovated winery didn’t honor that. Luckily, the company did an absolutely beautiful job at keeping the historic significance of many pieces of the winery while also creating a modern and gorgeous space. The structure of the winery itself is built from stone walls that date back to the 1800s, where the wine was physically made. Older wine tanks were repurposed, with the wood being used for ceilings or accent pieces throughout the space.
Scattered throughout the building are areas that directly honor the legacy of the vineyard. Old photographs, vintage bottles of wine, magazines and historical documents are there for you to peruse while enjoying a glass of wine. One of my favorite things to see was Georges De Latour’s original 1925 Cadillac Imperial, which is kept inside the winery to marvel at. It’s said that he picked up André Tchelistcheff, an incredibly influential winemaker, from the airport in this very car, where the two discussed their visions for the winery that eventually came to fruition.
On the second floor of the winery, in the Rarity Room, there is a ceiling that’s worth craning your neck to look at. It was created with planks of wood that once lived in the winery’s barrel cellar. Workers would sign their names, play games of tic-tac-toe, or draw silly cartoons. There are signatures and names of people that go back all the way to the early 1900s, and others that are a bit more current.
A Must Try Collection of Cabernet Sauvignon
Beaulieu Vineyard is known for its various types of Cabernet Sauvignon. The most coveted wine to try is the Georges De Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. It first was sold to the public in 1941, and today, the vineyard’s winemakers make the wine directly from ranches that Georges himself planted back in the early 1900s. When I got to taste this wine (which I had the pleasure of tasting the 2021, 2005, 1991, and 1975 vintages) I felt that it was a beautifully bold and complex wine. It has hints of cocoa, cedar, blackberry, and leather, all of which blend together to create a wine that’s truly exciting…