Trevor Durling, Chief Winemaker of Borio Vineyard, Visits Korea
120-Year-Old Napa Valley Rutherford Winery
'White House Wine' Used at White House Dinners for Over 80 Years
"Establishing the Standard of Classic Napa Valley Wine"
"Beaulieu Vineyard is a producer that has set the standard for classic Napa Valley wines boasting rich flavors through over 120 years of long history and high-level winemaking techniques."
Trevor Durling, Beaulieu Vineyard’s head winemaker, expressed confidence at a media event held on the afternoon of the 13th at the Four Seasons Hotel in Gwanghwamun, Jongno-gu, Seoul, stating that Beaulieu Vineyard’s wines could be an option that meets the high standards of Korean consumers for premium wines.
Durling, visiting Korea for the first time as Beaulieu Vineyard’s winemaker, plans to focus on raising awareness of Beaulieu Vineyard wines by meeting domestic wine enthusiasts during his stay. The winemaker said, "We recognize the importance of the Korean wine market," and added, "Based on decades of accumulated winemaking know-how, we plan to continuously present high-quality wines to Korean consumers." Beaulieu Vineyard is owned by Treasury Wine Estates (TWE), Australia’s largest wine company, and HiteJinro is responsible for its import in Korea.
Trevor Durling, Chief Winemaker of Boryu Vineyard, is explaining about the winery at a media event held on the afternoon of the 12th at the Four Seasons Hotel Gwanghwamun, Jongno-gu, Seoul.
Beaulieu Vineyard is a winery established in 1900 by Georges de Latour, a businessman from Bordeaux, France, in the Rutherford area of Napa County, California, USA, with the goal of producing wines comparable to French wines. For over 80 years, it has been used as the White House dinner wine, earning the nickname "White House Wine." Beaulieu Vineyard has been recognized globally for its quality, having been named "Winery of the Year" seven times by the wine specialty media Wine & Spirits and selected seven times in the "Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines."
The diverse 'terroir' (the total natural environment surrounding the vineyard, including soil and climate) played the most important role in establishing the reputation of Beaulieu Vineyard wines for their excellent quality. Napa Valley, with its mild Mediterranean climate, experiences cold air and fog flowing in from the southern San Francisco Bay, causing temperatures to rise as you move north. Currently, Beaulieu Vineyard operates over 1,100 acres (approximately 4.45 million square meters) of vineyards in Napa Valley, ranging from the warm climate of northern Calistoga to the cool climate of Los Carneros. This variety of climate and geological environments provides the background for Beaulieu Vineyard to produce wines with excellent complexity.
Beaulieu Vineyard has also played an important role in the history of Napa Valley wine. At the center of this is Andre Tchelistcheff, known as the "father of the California wine industry." A scientist from the Institut Pasteur, Tchelistcheff joined Beaulieu Vineyard as a winemaker in 1938 and remained with the winery until 1991, continuously innovating the winemaking process. He pioneered scientific approaches to winemaking, leading meaningful changes such as temperature-controlled fermentation, stainless steel tank fermentation, French oak barrel aging, and the introduction of cold stabilization equipment. Winemaker Durling explained, "Legendary figures like Robert Mondavi and Joe Heitz were his disciples," adding, "He contributed to improving the overall wine quality not only at Beaulieu Vineyard but throughout Napa Valley."
Tchelistcheff also coined the term "Rutherford Dust," which remains one of the most important keywords describing Beaulieu Vineyard’s wines. Rutherford Dust refers to the fine texture of the wine, reminiscent of soil dust or cocoa powder, with aromas characterized by black currant and blackberry black fruit scents, along with aged notes like mushroom and forest floor. This is created by the microclimate of the Rutherford region, which has a large diurnal temperature range, and the thin soil layer mixed with gravel, loam, and sand that stresses the vines to produce concentrated small berries.
The wine that best captures the essence of Rutherford Dust is the flagship product, "BV Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon." Produced annually since 1939, this wine primarily uses Cabernet Sauvignon (93%) with a small blend of Petit Verdot (7%) to enhance aroma and flavor. For a rich and full texture, some of the wine is fermented in French virgin oak barrels, while some is fermented in stainless steel and concrete tanks to preserve the freshness of the fruit. Aging is carried out for 24 months in French oak barrels. It features elegant fruit aromas complemented by secondary scents of dark chocolate, leather, and tobacco leaves, with delicate tannins reminiscent of cocoa powder.
Meanwhile, winemaker Durling began his career as a winemaker at Moon Mountain Vineyard in 2005, passed through Hewitt Vineyard, and joined Beaulieu Vineyard as head winemaker in 2017, leading the winemaking team.
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