Château Beychevelle - Amiral de Beychevelle 2018 (750ml)
Price: $49.99
Producer | Château Beychevelle |
Country | France |
Region | Bordeaux |
Subregion | Saint-Julien |
Varietal | Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot |
Vintage | 2018 |
Sku | 5878 |
93 points Jeb Dunnuck : A rock star of a second wine already offering pleasure, the 2018 Amiral De Beychevelle checks in as 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc that comes from the younger vines of the estate and slightly more sandy soils. This makes for a more up-front, fruit-driven wine that reveals a deep purple hue as well as sumptuous array of blueberries, black cherries, lead pencil shavings, tobacco, and spring flowers. It's classic Bordeaux on the nose, yet has a wonderful sweetness of fruit, ripe, polished tannins, no hard edges, and just a balanced, seamless style that's ideal for enjoying over the coming 10-15 years.
Château Beychevelle Description
Château Beychevelle is a well-regarded wine estate based in the Saint-Julien appellation of Bordeaux's northern Haut-Médoc wine region, on the left bank of the Gironde estuary.. The estate's flagship, Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant, wine is known for its supple power and smooth, rich texture, and better vintages have great aging ability. In the Bordeaux Classification of 1855 it was ranked a fourth growth.
The 250-hectare (620-acre) estate is situated in the extreme southeast of the Saint-Julien appellation, just outside the small commune of Beychevelle. The château building lies just east of Branaire-Ducru and south of Ducru-Beaucaillou.
The Beychevelle vineyard covers 90 hectares (222 acres) of deep Garonne gravel, with 62 percent planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, which is dominant in the wine itself. The remaining vineyard has 31 percent Merlot, 5 percent Cabernet Franc and 2 percent Petit Verdot.
The eponymous flagship wine, or "grand vin", is aged for 18 months in oak barrels, half of which are new. A second wine, Amiral de Beychevelle, is made from lots not earmarked for the grand vin.
A few plots in the vineyard lie outside the Saint-Julien border and so are made under the Haut-Médoc classification as Les Brulières de Beychevelle.
The name Beychevelle comes from the first Duke of Epernon, a navy admiral who owned the estate in the 16th Century. Boats that passed on the Garonne had to lower their sails in deference and the term "Baisse-Voile" (lowering of sails) became Beychevelle. This nautical theme extends to the ship with a griffin prow featured on the label.
The Château is currently owned by the Castel-Suntory joint venture, Grand Millésimes de France.
James Suckling: 92 Points
"Dark fruit with cedar and herbal notes on the nose. Some meat, too. It’s full-bodied with firm tannins. Juicy and savory character on the palate with a balanced structure. Flavorful finish. Second wine. Try after 2023 when it will be more together." 03/21