Georges 111 - Rutherford
Story: Lisa Supple
Photography: Adriana Arriaga and Cathleen Francisco
Photography: Adriana Arriaga and Cathleen Francisco
Georges III Vineyard is located on Napa Valley’s legendary Rutherford Bench, adjacent to Caymus Winery and bordered by Conn Creek and the Silverado Trail. The estate encompasses the historic Beaulieu Vineyard No. 3, which Beckstoffer Vineyards purchased in 1988, along with four adjacent properties – 300 acres in total.
Historical records show that a portion of the vineyard was planted to grapevines in 1895 by Elizabeth and Thomas Rutherford. The bride’s grandfather, George Yount (for whom the town of Yountville is named), was an early Napa Valley settler who had been granted more than 11,000 acres by the Mexican Commandante of Alta California, General Mariano Vallejo. Yount gifted the newlyweds 1,040 acres to celebrate their nuptials.
Georges De Latour of Beaulieu bought some of the acreage from the Rutherford family in 1928 for Beaulieu Vineyard No. 3, the third estate he planted. Under De Latour’s ownership, the property was the source for some of B.V.'s most prestigious bottlings, including those made by legendary winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff.
Today Georges III is planted exclusively to Cabernet Sauvignon, which Andy Beckstoffer believes is the highest calling for this classic Napa Valley property.
Historical records show that a portion of the vineyard was planted to grapevines in 1895 by Elizabeth and Thomas Rutherford. The bride’s grandfather, George Yount (for whom the town of Yountville is named), was an early Napa Valley settler who had been granted more than 11,000 acres by the Mexican Commandante of Alta California, General Mariano Vallejo. Yount gifted the newlyweds 1,040 acres to celebrate their nuptials.
Georges De Latour of Beaulieu bought some of the acreage from the Rutherford family in 1928 for Beaulieu Vineyard No. 3, the third estate he planted. Under De Latour’s ownership, the property was the source for some of B.V.'s most prestigious bottlings, including those made by legendary winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff.
Today Georges III is planted exclusively to Cabernet Sauvignon, which Andy Beckstoffer believes is the highest calling for this classic Napa Valley property.
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Before grapevines dominated the landscape, oak trees were plentiful in Napa Valley. At Georges III, several giant live oaks dot the vineyard, their twisted branches arching over the vines. A few owl boxes sprinkled around the grounds help keep the rodent population in check, but the winged hunters mainly take advantage of the natural perches in the magnificent trees. |
The Beckstoffer team began replanting the property in 1990, using new Cabernet Sauvignon clones with tighter spacing and advanced trellising systems, to enhance both quality and grape tonnage. In sections of the ranch where soils are less vigorous – with a heavier rock base and less water-holding capacity – the vines are densely planted with six to eight feet between each vine and each row. In deeper, more fertile soils, there are fewer vines per acre with rows spaced nine to eleven feet apart to accommodate a vertically divided bi-lateral trellis that produces a wider canopy. Overall, the vineyard yields 4.5 to 5.5 tons per acre.
Three types of trellising systems are used at Georges III, reflecting ever-changing attitudes toward vineyard management and the preferences of winemakers who source fruit from this prestigious property.
In the northern portion of the vineyard, where many of the older blocks planted in the early ‘90s are located, an older trellising system is in place – the GDC or Geneva Double Curtain. In this system, the vine trunk is split vertically into two cordons perpendicular to the vine row; each cordon is then trained bi-laterally, split again creating four cordons attached to wires running parallel on either side of the vine row. Because the shoots are not supported, they hang down, forming a “double curtain.” When the tips reach the ground, the shoots stop growing, resulting in a naturally balanced canopy with the right fruit-to-foliage ratio. The vineyard manager can ensure proper ripeness by thinning the foliage as needed.
Three types of trellising systems are used at Georges III, reflecting ever-changing attitudes toward vineyard management and the preferences of winemakers who source fruit from this prestigious property.
In the northern portion of the vineyard, where many of the older blocks planted in the early ‘90s are located, an older trellising system is in place – the GDC or Geneva Double Curtain. In this system, the vine trunk is split vertically into two cordons perpendicular to the vine row; each cordon is then trained bi-laterally, split again creating four cordons attached to wires running parallel on either side of the vine row. Because the shoots are not supported, they hang down, forming a “double curtain.” When the tips reach the ground, the shoots stop growing, resulting in a naturally balanced canopy with the right fruit-to-foliage ratio. The vineyard manager can ensure proper ripeness by thinning the foliage as needed.
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Most of the vines planted later in the ‘90s and early ‘00s are trained with Vertical Shoot Positioning. With the VSP system, each trunk is trained to run bi-laterally on a single cordon wire. The shoots all grow upward, trained on a series of ascending wires that run the length of the row. The VSP system creates a single panel of foliage. Because there’s nothing to stop them, the shoots will keep growing if they’re not reined in. This system gives the vineyard manager more options than the GDC to create neat, orderly growth. The canopy can be hedged at the top and sides, and leaf-thinning is easy. And since all the fruit grows on the same horizontal plane, picking is easy, too.
“The potential for reproduceable, repeatable results is greater with the VSP system,” says vineyard manager Randy Heinzen. “Many winemakers also like it because the vines don’t look as wild. It’s easier to walk down the rows and see the fruit. It feels like you’re more in control of the vineyard.”
The most recently planted blocks (2005) are on Lyre trellises. This is a bi-lateral system like the GDC, except instead of hanging down, the shoots grow vertically on wires that ascend on a Y-shaped form. This separates the foliage into two panels with space for air movement and light exposure in the middle.
“The potential for reproduceable, repeatable results is greater with the VSP system,” says vineyard manager Randy Heinzen. “Many winemakers also like it because the vines don’t look as wild. It’s easier to walk down the rows and see the fruit. It feels like you’re more in control of the vineyard.”
The most recently planted blocks (2005) are on Lyre trellises. This is a bi-lateral system like the GDC, except instead of hanging down, the shoots grow vertically on wires that ascend on a Y-shaped form. This separates the foliage into two panels with space for air movement and light exposure in the middle.
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Wine growers are always tweaking and experimenting, searching for the trellis that works best depending on the soil and climate profile of each block within the vineyard. Trellising styles go in and out of fashion as vintners learn more about how they affect the end result – the finished wine.
“In 1990, the rows were put in running north to south. Now, 20 years later, we’re looking at planting different sections of the vineyard east to west,” says Randy. “It’s all about the sun. Ideally, we want equal exposure on both sides of the vine for uniform ripening. That’s especially critical if there’s less foliage, as in a VSP or Lyre structure, where the fruit clusters are more exposed. In Georges III, it seems the best row direction is about 55° off true north.” |
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In the Rutherford area, the fog usually clears off by 9am most summer mornings. Hot summer days inhibit disease and mildew problems and provide excellent hang time for Cabernet Sauvignon. Often these are among the first Cab vines to flower and the last to harvest, giving the wines an extra dose of concentration and richness.
Beneficial native cover crop acts as an organic soil builder. Randy uses nitrogen fixing legumes plus big biomass plants like barley, bell beans, vetch, peas and wild carrot, as well as Brassica blends like mustard, cabbage and radish that are both nematicidal (soil pest killers) and don’t attract mammalian pests like gophers and field mice.
Most years, the cover crop is mown down in every other row in April after the winter/spring rains stop, and left on the surface to act as mulch. Depending on weather conditions and how much competition the vineyard manager wants to give the vines, alternating rows of winter cover crop may or may not be disced back into the earth to replenish soil and put back what the vines take out each vintage.
Beneficial native cover crop acts as an organic soil builder. Randy uses nitrogen fixing legumes plus big biomass plants like barley, bell beans, vetch, peas and wild carrot, as well as Brassica blends like mustard, cabbage and radish that are both nematicidal (soil pest killers) and don’t attract mammalian pests like gophers and field mice.
Most years, the cover crop is mown down in every other row in April after the winter/spring rains stop, and left on the surface to act as mulch. Depending on weather conditions and how much competition the vineyard manager wants to give the vines, alternating rows of winter cover crop may or may not be disced back into the earth to replenish soil and put back what the vines take out each vintage.
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Acreage: 300 acres, about 250 acres planted. In 2009, 181 acres were placed under a land conservation easement that forever prohibits non-agricultural development. |
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Topography: Mostly flat, the vineyard rises a scant 500 feet as it stretches eastward, and has an excellent western exposure. |
Soils: Rutherford Bench soils are relatively deep and productive, with good water-holding capacity. Soils get heavier in the southern portion of the vineyard, changing to clay/loam. The diverse soil types in Georges III include: 43% Pleasanton loam, 15% Cole silt loam, 15% Clear Lake clay, 15% Perkins gravelly loam, 10% Cortina vey gravelly loam and 1% each Boomer-Forward-Feltz complex and Riverwash.
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Varietals: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
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Clones: Cabernet Sauvignon clones #4 (39%), #337 (29%), #7 (20%), #6 (9%), #169 (2%) and #15 (1%)
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Rootstock: Primarily 039-16, with just 2% on 101-14
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Owned and farmed by: Beckstoffer Vineyards
Vineyard manager: Randy Heinzen www.beckstoffervineyards.com 
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Grapes sourced by: Merryvale (Beckstoffer Vineyard Clone 6 Cabernet Sauvignon), Provenance Rutherford, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Bacio Divino, BRYTER Estates, Franciscan, KEATING, Kendall-Jackson, Calin, Sequoia Grove, Bell Wine Cellars, Hunnicutt, Bounty Hunter, Broman, Fisher and others.
Wineries that purchase Georges III grapes specify which block they want grapes from. Many wineries not only call out the Georges III vineyard name but the individual block designation on their labels. |
