Initially a purchase of 4 acres (1.6 ha) of land in 1900, Beaulieu Vineyard derives its name from the French phrase "Quel beau lieu" which translates to English as "What a beautiful place".

[citation needed] The following year (not according to this timeline: https://www.bvwines.com/heritage Archived 29 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine, they purchased a nearby winery originally built by California State Senator Seneca Ewer in 1885.

De Latour's knowledge about phylloxera which had ravaged many Napa Valley vineyard, and his decision to import a rootstock variety resistant to the pest helped secure his stature as one of the early pioneers of California's wine industry.

[3] In the Ottawa Wine Tasting of 1981, the 1970 vintage of Beaulieu Vineyard George de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon received second place.

Grand Metropolitan became Diageo plc in 1997 through a merger with Guinness,[5] and is now the largest multinational beer, wine and spirits company in the world.