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Beau Vigne Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Beau Vigne, pronounced “bo-veenya” and meaning “beautiful vineyard” in French, is a boutique winery located in Napa Valley, California. Founded in 1999 by Napa native Ed Snider and his wife Trish, with its first vintage release in 2002, the winery has established a reputation for producing exceptional wines, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Snider family’s connection to Napa Valley dates back to 1913 when Ed’s grandfather, Martin Garzoli, a Swiss-Italian immigrant, settled in the region. Garzoli was involved in winemaking and ranching in the Carneros area, laying the foundation for the family’s future in viticulture.
Beau Vigne’s estate vineyard, known as Stags Ridge, is situated within the Atlas Peak AVA, accessible via Soda Canyon Road. This high-elevation site, approximately 1,400 feet above Napa Valley, is characterized by volcanic soils, contributing to the distinctive qualities of their wines.
In its early years, Beau Vigne collaborated with notable winemakers to craft its wines. Dave Phinney, the founding winemaker, aimed to create red wines that could compete with the world’s finest. [Phinney went on to fame and fortune with his Orin Swift Wine Company and the overrated The Prisoner.] This vision was furthered by winemaker Kirk Venge, who joined in 2008 and led the winery to achieve a perfect 100-point score from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.
In 2018, Snider sold Beau Vigne and its vineyard holdings to Arizona-based individuals Don Dady and Jason Kyle. They kept the vineyards and launched Seven Apart Wines, then resold the Beau Vigne label to Charles Bartlett’s Appellation Trading Company (ATC). Bartlett, who has been involved in Napa’s wine industry since the late 1970s, brought on winemaker Julien Fayard to usher in a new era for the winery. Fayard, originally from France, has an impressive background, having worked at esteemed Bordeaux estates such as Lafite Rothschild and Smith Haut Lafitte before relocating to Napa Valley. In Napa, he served as Philippe Melka’s director of winemaking before launching his own projects. Fayard holds a Master in Agri-Business from ESA France, a Master in Winemaking from Toulouse, and an MBA from UC Davis.
Under Bartlett’s ownership and Fayard’s winemaking expertise, Beau Vigne continues to produce highly sought-after wines that reflect the unique terroir of Napa Valley. The winery remains a small, boutique operation, producing only a few thousand cases annually. Their portfolio includes Cabernet Sauvignon from their estate vineyard atop Atlas Peak, as well as red blends, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay sourced from the region’s top vineyards.
Beau Vigne’s wines have consistently received high praise from critics and wine enthusiasts alike. Renowned wine critic Robert Parker has referred to Beau Vigne as “one of my favorite wineries.”
Beau Vigne Signature Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
This is the flagship wine of Beau Vigne. For this and all preceeding vintages, the fruit of this wine came from Beau Vigne’s estate vineyard high atop Atlas Peak. It was the same crown jewel vineyard that Dady and Kyle purchased to launch Seven Apart Wines. Sadly, this was the last vintage of which Beau Vigne had access to the fruit.
A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, this wine pours a dark red with ruby edges. The moderate nose features black berries, especially black currant and black cherries. These continue on the full-bodied palate with some chocolate, all hiding behind plenty of robust tannins. It all concludes with a long, mineral-infused finish. The ABV is 15.8%, and you can taste it.
Note: This selection is guilty of Bloated Bottle Syndrome, which I’m calling out for bottles that weigh more than the wine they contain. The web site of nearly every winery will usually include a mention of the operation’s dedication to “sustainability” and “stewardship.” Unfortunately, this often seems only to extend to the property itself. Many “premium” wines like this one come in heavier bottles to allegedly denote quality. Inexcusably, this one weighs in at 1194 grams! The average of past BBS “winners” is 857 grams, excluding the previous record holder at 1007 grams. (As an example of a more typical bottle, Estancia Cabernet’s comes in at 494 grams.) That’s a lot of extra weight to be shipping around the country (or the world.) For this Beau Vigne, that’s an extra 12 lbs per case, even assuming a 750-gram bottle. Even sparkling wine bottles are less than the weight of this one, and those are made to withstand high internal pressure. Unfortunately, this sort of “bottle-weight marketing” is becoming more common, especially at higher price points. But there are other ways to denote quality without weight: unusual label designs, foils, wax dipping, etc.
Plastic bottles have a lower environmental impact than glass, 20% to 40% less, in fact. And, bag-in-box packages are even less than plastic bottles. (Unfortunately, current bag technology will only keep unopened wine fresh for about a year, so they are only suitable for wines to be consumed upon release from the winery; that’s about 90% of all wine sold though.)
The carbon footprint of global winemaking and global wine consumption is nothing to scoff at, amounting to hundreds of thousands of tons per year. The latter, which requires cases of wine be shipped around the world, imprints a deep carbon footprint. Because wine is so region-specific, and only so many regions can create drinkable bottles, ground and air transportation is responsible for nearly all of the wine industry’s greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Sustainable Wine Roundtable, a group of wineries, retailers, and other companies connected to the wine industry, one-third to one-half of that total is due to the glass bottles themselves.
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