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Chateau Beychevelle

Chateau Beychevelle is one of the Médoc's finest constructions, an 18th Century affair built in the style of Louis XV. The estate lies at the south-eastern tip of the St Julien commune, close to the town of Beychevelle, with near neighbours including Chateau St Pierre and Chateau Gloria. Its regal demeanour and luxuriant flowerbeds are fine viewed either from the road or from the Gironde, which is less than a mile away to the east.

Chateau Beychevelle The origins of the estate are ancient and lie in the seigneurie of Lamarque, this being one of the locations Of the numerous fortified houses that lined the Gironde. In the early 15th Century it was in the hands of the de Grailly family, passing from them in 1446 to the Foix-Candale family, who also owned Chateau d'Issan. Under the tenure of this family the property was known as the Chateau de Médoc. In 1587 the land and property came into the hands of the Duc d'Epernon, Jean-Louis Nogaret de la Valette, when he married the heiress to the estate, Marguerite de Foix-Candale. It is said that it was this duke that was responsible for the renaming of the estate as Beychevelle. As well as ruling the locals with an iron rod as Governor of Guyenne, the Duke also became an admiral of the French navy, and French ships sailing on the Gironde - of which there must have been many, Bordeaux being a significant port - were required to lower their sails in respect. This act - baisse voile in French, bacha velo in the Gascon tongue - led to the name Beychevelle. It's a fanciful story, one that bestows some honour on Nogaret, and unsurprisingly there are doubts about its authenticity. After all, it seems likely that ships would lower sails as they approached the port of Bordeaux anyway, regardless of the presence of a nearby chateau-dwelling admiral.

With the passing of time both the estate and the title was passed to the next generation, and it was the son Bernard that became the next Duc d'Epernon. Like his father before him he paid little interest in in viticulture at the estate, and when he died in 1642 he left behind him a handsome collection of unpaid debts. In order to satisfy the demands of his creditors, his estate was sold off. What was to become Chateau Beychevelle was purchased by the Duc de Rendan, before passing to the Abbadie family who seemed to continue the theme of neglect, although it was probably under their direction that the vineyard was established. Nevertheless they also sold the estate, this time the new owner was Marquis François-Etienne de Brassier. The marquis was responsible for today's fine chateau, completing in 1757 a reconstruction and development of what previous owners had erected during the previous century. He also reunited much of the estate, purchasing parcels of land which had been sold off after the Duc d'Epernon's death, and had a healthy interest in horticulture and viticulture. The former is evidenced by the fine gardens, on which every visitor seems to comment, and the latter by the construction of a vat house during his tenure.

Beychevelle François-Etienne was succeeded by his son François-Arnaud, and their descendants held control of the chateau through the Revolution in the late 18th Century, although without doubt the family and the estate suffered at this time. A large portion was cleaved off and purchased by a gentleman named Bergeron, who also owned Ducru-Beaucaillou, others gradually being lost to viticulture, some were absorbed into Saint-Pierre, and some portions were alluvial pasture that do not interest us. What was left remained with the Brassier family, although when François-Arnaud killed a man in a duel he was forced to flee the country, and it appeared the estate would be sequestered. This was prevented, however, by his sister, who claimed the estate as her own, before promptly selling it on to Jacques Conte in 1800, who then sold it to Pierre-François Guestier, mayor of St Julien, in 1825. It was Guestier, who also managed Langoa and Léoville-Barton during the absence of Hugh Barton, who held tenure as the property was ranked as a fourth growth in the 1855 classification. He subsequently sold the property in 1874 to Armand Heine, and then by marriage of his daughter Marie-Louise it passed to the wealthy Achille-Fould family - descendants of the Napoleonic finance minister Achille Fould - who oversaw the running of the estate through much of the 20th Century. Neither Guestier nor three generations of Achille-Foulds are credited with dramatic improvement in quality of the wine, which was generally regarded as underperforming. In 1984, however, a large number of shares in the estate were sold to Grands Millésimes de France (GMF), the French Civil Servants' Pension Fund. GMF subsequently bought all the remaining shares, and sold 40% on to Japanese group Suntory, who had already purchased nearby Chateau Lagrange in 1983. With new ownership came new investment, and in recent vintages this has been evident as improved quality in the finished product.

The deep Garonne gravel vineyards at Beychevelle currently account for 90 ha of the 250 ha estate, planted with 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Average vine age is 25 years, planted at 10000 vines/ha. Fermentation is temperature controlled, staying below 30ºC, and is followed by a period of eighteen months in oak, of which 50% is new each year. The wine is fined but not filtered. The grand vin is Chateau Beychevelle (typically 25000 cases per annum), there is a second wine Amiral de Beychevelle (typically 12500 cases per annum), as well as an AC Haut-Médoc made from a few vineyard plots bordering St Julien, Brulières de Beychevelle. In the 20th these wines have not been held in high repute by those knowledgeable about the commune of St Julien. Lack of investment, lack of interest, poor selection and high yields resulted in disappointing wines. The 1993, although from a difficult vintage, typified this; in the past few decades only the 1989 revealed a little of what Beychevelle may be capable of, the wine comparable with many other from Beychevelle's neighbours that year. But with investment from GMF and Suntory I feel that change, for the better, is afoot. The 2000, 2001 and 2004 vintages are good evidence of this, although the 2002 and 2003 suggest to me that there is still room for improvement. (8/3/05, updated 28/2/07)

Contact details:
Address: Chateau Beychevelle, 33250 Saint-Julien-Beychevelle
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 56 73 20 70
Fax: +33 (0) 5 56 73 20 71
Internet: www.beychevelle.com

Chateau Beychevelle - Tasting Notes

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2007

Chateau Beychevelle (St Julien) 2007: This has attractive fruit on the nose, which is open and expressive. There is a moderate weight on the palate, a nice and gently composed structure, although there is a grittiness to it. This has good structure and also some potential. From my 2007 Bordeaux en primeur assessment. 15-16+/20 (April 2008)

2005

Chateau Beychevelle (St Julien) 2005: Very deep, pure fruit here, with exotic perfumed violets and white pepper. This has plenty of interest to offer! Pure, a little lighter in style than some, a lifted character, with cherry and cranberry freshness of fruit. A great acid backbone, nicely defined, with an elegant, well composed style. A very fine Beychevelle indeed. From my tasting of 2005 Bordeaux at two years of age. 17+/20 (October 2007)

2004

Chateau Beychevelle (St Julien) 2004: An exotic nose of nutty oak and dark fruit presented in a very distinctive style. The palate has plenty of attractively presented fruit carried along by a creamy, rounded, softly caressing style. Ripe tannins, correct acidity, not a great impact but very nicely assembled though. From my 2004 Bordeaux assessment. 16.5+/20 (October 2006)

2003

Chateau Beychevelle (St Julien) 2003: Ripe, pressed blackcurrant nose, with a suggestion of creamy white chocolate. Ripe, restrained, but succulent and appealing. Plenty of elegantly styles fruit. Firm tannin, firm acidity too, altogether nice structure, texture a little creamy. Not quite the substance I might have hoped for. But should drink well. From my 2003 Bordeaux assessment. 15.5+/20 (October 2005)

2002

Chateau Beychevelle (St Julien) 2002: CS 57%, M 30%, CF 9%, PV 4%. A good, aromatic nose, opening out well in the glass to reveal some nutty, oak-influenced fruit. Balanced, elegant palate, with good level of fruit and moderate concentration. Clean, good ripe tannins. This is good, although not offering what was found in the previous two vintages. 15.5+/20 (November 2004)

2001

Chateau Beychevelle (St Julien) 2001: A lovely depth of dark, macerated fruit on the nose, still showing the nuttiness of oak. A very impressive although youthful character. Gentle structure on the palate, very supple and silky, with integrating tannins, and a decent presence of fruit. Nice, gentle grip. Really rather good, and will drink very nicely in four to five years time. 16.5+/20 (November 2005)

Chateau Beychevelle (St Julien) 2001: CS 54%, M 39%, PV 7%. A good nose, of exotic dark fruits, a little more open and currently seductive than the 2000. Seamless, balanced palate with correct acidity and ripe tannins. Good fruit; positively silky texture. Another very good 2001 - a vintage that has a lot to offer, I think. Needs five to six years. 16.5+/20 (November 2004)

Amiral de Beychevelle (St Julien) 2001: CS 68%, M 20%, CF 12%. A decent nose, with some nice fruit on the palate. Balanced, with appropriate weight and concentration of flavour. A low level of tannins gives a little structure. This is very good for a second wine, and will improve in the short-term. 15+/20 (November 2004)

2000

Chateau Beychevelle (St Julien) 2000: CS 49%, M 38%, CF 7%, PV 6%. Lots of colour here. Somewhat closed on the nose now, but there is evidence of dense, dark and exotic fruits. Full, fat richness, with creamy edged fruit draped over a tannic backbone. A fine and impressive wine which has a very good future. This needs eight to ten years yet. 16.5+/20 (November 2004)

1993

Chateau Beychevelle (St Julien) 1993: No information on blend available. Mature hue. Unusual nose; salty seaweed, just a touch of meaty maturity. Lean, dilute palate which lacks impact, leading to a short finish. Still has a little tannin in the background, but I can find nothing else more positive to say. 12.5/20 (November 2004)

1989

Chateau Beychevelle (St Julien) 1989: This has a classic nose, full and rich, still with plenty of fruit. An elegant structure is evident on the palate, which has fine tannins and well balanced acidity. Impressive amount of fruit keeping this wine going. Absolutely lovely. From a Bordeaux 1989 horizontal tasting. 18/20 (January 2002)