Beaulieu Vineyard

One of the oldest estate in the Napa Valley (the oldest being Beringer, est. 1868), Beaulieu Vineyard was initially conceived through the purchase of 1.6 hectares of land in 1900 by Georges de Latour and his wife, Fernande. The estate took its name from the French meaning of 'beautiful place'. In modern times, it is often referred to by its initials - BV. In the 1920s when Prohibition hit, most wineries were forced to go out of business. However, Beaulieu Vineyard secured a contract to produce sacramental wine. This was a move that not only guaranteed its survival, but also enabled it to grow, reaching an annual production of over 3,800,000 liters per year. When the Prohibition was repealed in 1933, Georges hired André Tchelistcheff, a Russian expat living in France, as the winemaker and BV's Vice President. André later became a Napa legend and a pioneer in the winemaking realm. It was he who created BV's most famous label, Private Reserve. He was affectionately called, 'The Maestro'. Today, they make a multitude of wines including everyday drinking bottles, but their most famous remains their Private Reserve, produced from a selection of their finest grapes.