Château Beychevelle 2020

The first major property visible off the D2 Médoc Route de Châteaux on the way to Saint Julien is the picturesque estate, Château Beychevelle.  Resplendent gardens, 200-year-old conifers, priceless sculptures, and exquisite Baroque architecture have earned this Fourth Growth estate the nickname, “The Versailles of Bordeaux.”  But make no mistake, Château Beychevelle is more than just a pretty face.  In recent years, the wines have deviated from their traditional supple, easy-drinking style for a more concentrated approach and this has gone over well with critics.  Robert Parker Jr considers its wines in some vintages, “as beautiful as its magnificent gardens” and Jane Anson from Decanter considers Château Beychevelle one of the ones to watch.

Château Beychevelle was initially a property of the Foix-Candale family and had already achieved recognition as a fine wine estate by 1446.  Eventually it was acquired by the illustrious Duke of Épernon.  The Duke was a prominent figure and well-respected Admiral in the Navy.  He was a patron of the arts, and legend has it the illustrious French playwright, Molière, stayed at the estate with a troupe of actors.  The Duke was also a formidable nobleman, whose power was felt all the way out to the banks of the Gironde and when ships passed his large estate which had a view of the river, they would lower their sails as a sign of respect. The name Beychevelle originates from the French words, baisser le voile, meaning “lower the sails.”  The image of a ship sailing with lowered sales is still on the label today.

The palatial estate was owned by generations of French nobility and powerful négociants throughout the ages, such as Barton and Gustier.  It was classified a Fourth Growth in 1855 and after changing hands throughout the centuries, was purchased by Aymar Achille-Fould in 1970.  In 1984, Aymar partnered with Grand Millésimes de France (GMF) Group.  Eventually, the Japanese Suntory Company which already had properties in Bordeaux like Château Lagrange took an interest in the estate.  Most recently, Suntory along with Pierre Castel purchased the Saint Julien property in 2011.

Château Beychevelle continues to push toward organic farming techniques, and portions of the property are farmed this way.  The new assistant winemaker, Romain Ducolomb, has a background at Château Clinet and has assisted Philippe Blanc in pursuing wines with purity, elegance, and richness.  They both value sustainability, green farming, and energy efficient viticultural practices.   Of the sprawling estate, 90 hectares are planted with vines of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.  Over the past few years, they have dramatically reduced their yields in order to produce wines that are more concentrated.  The wines are all vinified plot by plot to express the optimum terroir here.  They tend to harvest earlier than other estates in the Médoc, but this often serves them well and in particularly rainy vintages, Château Beychevelle has the upper hand.  The grand vin reflect these positive changes and are proof that Château Beychevelle is more than just a beautiful property.  

"Deep purple-black colored, the 2020 Beychevelle offers up vibrant notes of black raspberries, fresh black cherries and cassis, plus hints of wild sage, chocolate mint, rose hip tea and fallen leaves, with an exotic hint of Indian spices. The medium to full-bodied palate offers layers of crunchy black fruits with a firm, grainy texture and just enough freshness, finishing long and perfumed." Lisa Perotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate (5/20/2021), Rating: 94-96 Drink: 2026-2046

"The Grand Vin 2020 Château Beychevelle is a tiny selection representing just 55% of the total production of the estate. The blend is 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot which spent 18 months in 70% new French oak, hitting 13.5% natural alcohol. Surpassing both the 2016 and 2018, this inky-hued Saint-Julien offers a round, lush, full-bodied style as well as gorgeous aromatics of black cherries, blueberries, loamy earth, chocolate, and spring flowers. The vintage doesn't get any sexier, and this has sweet tannins, an opulent mouthfeel, and riveting purity and finesse. While it already offers pleasure, it's going to benefit from 4-6 years of bottle age and keep for 25+." Jeb Dunnuck, Bordeaux 2020: En Primeur (3/29/2023) Rating: 97 Drink: 2027-2052

"Big shouldered, layers of dark berry fruits, liqourice, cigar box, cloves and solid tannins, with character and depth, clear ageing potential. Muscular tannic construction, keeping its St Julien finesse a little hidden for now, but it will arrive with ageing, and you'd be hard pressed to be unhappy with drinking this 15 years from now. 47hl/h yield." Jane Anson, Decanter, Best Saint-Julién Wines Tasted En Primeur 2020 (01/10/2023) Rating: 94 Drink: 2029-2048

"The 2020 Beychevelle opens with the most exotic bouquet imaginable. Wild flowers of all sorts, spice, lavender and inky dark fruit all saturate the palate. As always, Beychevelle is an overt, flamboyant wine, but all of the elements are so well out together. The 2020 is sexy, alluring and impossible to resist. Time in the glass brings out redder tonalities of fruit along with sweet floral notes that add striking inner perfume. Even as a barrel sample, I am so tempted to just drink it." Antonio Galloni, Vinous, Rating: 94-96

''Rich and muscular, the 2020 Beychevelle offers up aromas of cassis, blackberries and baked plums mingled with notions of spices, pencil shavings and toasty new oak. Medium to full-bodied, thick and fleshy, with an ample core of fruit framed by powdery, generously extracted tannins that assert themselves on the finish, this is a more powerful, chunky Beychevelle than the suave 2019.'' William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (04/06/2023) Ratings: 93+ Drink: 2027-2055