BECKSTOFFER GEORGES III

Tasting A Bit of History

Georges III was first planted in 1895, and rose to fame under Beaulieu Vineyard founder Georges de Latour in the 1960s.  Andy Beckstoffer purchased the vineyard in the 1980s and affectionately named it after the late French wine pioneer. The vineyard was originally known by Latour as BV3 (Beaulieu Vineyard #3) so naturally the name evolved into Georges III.
 
My journey to Georges III began on my first day of work for Andy Beckstoffer, as my office is located in the heart of the vineyard. I spent the next 5 years learning everything I could about the historic property; the soil variation (the property has 8 different soil types), the clones, rootstocks, and trellis architecture that produce extraordinary Cabernet Sauvignon. 

I have been incredibly fortunate to work with nearly every vineyard block within this heritage property. And the past five years has taught me that the secret to this vineyard lies in the soil map of the estate, which shows a narrow band of incredibly well drained Cortina gravel that winds through the property. Only about 10% of the vineyard has this soil type, and 100% of Copper Bear's allocation of Georges III comes from this section of the vineyard.