Beaulieu Vineyard, Napa Valley (California) 2015

 This wine won’t require quite as much inventiveness to justify a purchase as “Georges De Latour Private Reserve”, though that’s still a price at which one can reasonably expect to get a serious, deeply satisfying wine.  Which this is.  It is a softer, more broadly-textured wine, but still with very good structure and very promising aging potential.  However, there’s no need to age it, as the fruit is very open and expressive.  Complex too, as one would expect from a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 7% Malbec, 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot.  The percentage of new oak ticks down to 60%, which is still quite considerable, but again, the integration of wood and fruit is superb, so this has plenty of spine for paring with a grilled steak, with enough versatility to sing with a veal chop.