Château Beychevelle is one of the most beautiful places in Bordeaux, situated in the Saint-Julien commune. The chateau's front garden is extremely well-kept. Still, when you step into Beychevelle's backyard, you are greeted by an incredible view of the Gironde River, especially on sunny days with clear blue skies.
I have always admired Beychevelle, even though this wine can sometimes lack consistency. However, in certain successful vintages, such as 2005 and 2010, it offers a delightful experience of elegance, finesse, and refinement. This estate has produced exceptional wines from the 1940s and 1950s, and if you manage to find bottles from that era, you can expect a thrilling taste of true Bordeaux wine. Throughout its history, Beychevelle has remained quite affordable. It's always been a stylish wine true to its commune.
Philippe Blanc, Beychevelle's manager, joins us for a tasting. March 2015
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2024 Beychevelle (barrel sample) 94p
Tasted in April 2025. Aromatic with blackcurrants and black cherries. It displays tension, elegance, finesse, and grace, together with a splendid mid-palate, and is vibrant and seductive, well-structured, and has a lasting finish. Terrific effort.
2023 Beychevelle (barrel sample) 95p
Tasted twice - last time in September 2024. Consistent notes. Fragrant cherries, blackcurrants, mint, elegance and finesse, complex, bright acidity, gentle tannin, vibrant, subtle oak, silky texture, and lingering finish. It's a very stylish wine.
2022 Beychevelle (barrel sample) 95-96p
Tasted in April 2023. 54% C. Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot. Intense crunchy cherries, minty, leather, mineral, elegance and finesse, complex, gentle tannin, vibrant, discreet oak, velvety texture, and fine finish. It's a very stylish wine.
2021 Beychevelle (barrel sample) 92-93p
I tasted it in April 2022. It had intense, crunchy cherry notes, mint, leather, and mineral flavors, with elegance and finesse, complex yet gentle tannins, discreet oak, a velvety texture, and a lingering finish. It is a very stylish and attractive wine.
2020 Beychevelle 95-96p
Tasted twice - last time in September 2024. Consistent notes. 51% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Petit Verdot. Intense aroma of black fruit, excellent structure and complexity on the palate, with silky berries and tannin, creamy and vibrant, a long, lingering finish. Great style and sheer class!
2019 Beychevelle 95+p
Tasted twice - last time in November 2021. Consistent notes. 49% Cabernet Sauvignon + 46% Merlot + 3% Petit Verdot + 2% Cabernet Franc, 13.7% alcohol. On the nose, it's full of aromas of blackcurrants and black cherries, refined and classy with great elegance, full-bodied, with a velvety texture, and a long and meaty aftertaste. It is a totally impressive effort.
2018 Beychevelle 95+p
Tasted four times - last time in November 2021. Consistent notes. 50% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc. An extraordinary aroma of wild cherries and mocha, great structure and complexity on the palate, luscious berries and silky tannin, creamy berries, and great midpalate. It has a sleek and lingering finish. Classy, classy wine!
2017 Beychevelle 92p
Tasted twice - last time in October 2019. Consistent notes. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon + 45% Merlot + 5% Petit Verdot + 1% Cabernet Franc. Fresh, elegant, with a soft texture, complex, finesse, and a sappy, persistent finish. This is a more refined and lighter wine from the property than usual.
2016 Beychevelle 96p
Tasted three times - last time in October 2019. Consistent notes. 47% Cabernet Sauvignon + 47% Merlot + 5% Petit Verdot + 1% Cabernet Franc. This wine showed great elegance and finesse, velvety texture, excellent balance and structure, and a persistent fruity finish. Aristocratic wine with great complexity and perfect structure. Fabulous stuff.
2015 Beychevelle 94p
Tasted three times - last time in November 2021. Consistent notes. Aromatic, gentle, polished, luscious fruit, great finesse and elegance, great length, seamless, velvety texture, and savory aftertaste. It's a great future.
2014 Beychevelle 94+p
Tasted three times - last time in November 2021. Consistent notes. 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 51% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot. It is very aromatic on the nose, with intense blackcurrants and blackberries. Well-structured palate with ripe dark berries and corresponding tannin, bright acidity, and meaty aftertaste. It's a classic vintage for the property.
2013 Beychevelle 89p
Tasted three times - last time in November 2021. Consistent notes. It was a challenging vintage in Bordeaux, marked by unfavorable weather conditions. Beychevelle produced an acceptable wine, lighter than usual, charming, and round, but a bit foursquare. I don't think it'll make "old bones".
2012 Beychevelle 92p
Tasted three times - last time in October 2015. Consistent notes. 47% Cabernet Sauvignon + 44% Merlot + 4% Cabernet Franc + 5% Petit Verdot. This wine offered aromas of very aromatic black cherries, concentrated and silky fruit tannins, splendid complexity, a fine grip, and a long-lasting aftertaste. It was a superb effort for the vintage.
2011 Beychevelle 92p
I tasted this wine four times, the last time in November 2021. Consistent notes. This wine offered aromatic fruit (black cherries) and was quite intense and powerful, with creamy fruit, fine structure, balance, and a finish on the palate. Terrific effort for the vintage.
2010 Beychevelle 95+p
Tasted six times - last time in September 2019. Consistent notes. 54% Cabernet Sauvignon + 38% Merlot + 5% Cabernet Franc + 3% Petit Verdot. Aromatic, chocolate, cacao, fat fruit, and tannin are sophisticated, refined, long, rich, and complex. It's a beautiful wine and an extremely graceful one.
2009 Beychevelle 93p
Tasted five times - last time in October 2015. Consistent notes. This wine was pretty aromatic, elegant, subtle, and full-bodied. Splendid aftertaste with a lot of flavors. Graceful and stylish.
2008 Beychevelle 92p
Tasted five times - last time in August 2011. Consistent notes. After bottling, it gained more depth and concentration. It had an excellent bite and is very aromatic, dense, and complex. Delicious wine.
2007 Beychevelle 91p
It tasted six times - last time in September 2010. Consistent notes. A delightful treat for the senses, in the form of an exquisite, round, and charming wine with seductive cherry fruit aromas on the nose. This wine is still gaining more concentration and structure.
2006 Beychevelle 92p
Tasted three times - last time in July 2021. Consistent notes. Meaty and fleshy wine with perfectly ripe blackcurrants and raspberries, delicate balance, and long aftertaste. This was in September 2009. Almost 12 years later, with an elegant nose of Cabernet Sauvignon and black winter truffles, it remains a source of great enjoyment, displaying finesse and elegance. Easily another 15 years in the cellar.
2005 Beychevelle 95+p
Tasted four times - last time in March 2009. Consistent notes. 47% CS, 46% M, 3% CF, and 4% PV. It is, without doubt, Beychevelle's best vintage in modern times. This wine impressed me greatly from the barrel in April 2006, and it's clear that it has retained a high level of quality since then. It's a fabulous, thick aroma of dark berries, with awesome length, balance, and concentration, as well as formidable depth and a lasting aftertaste, and a whole load of finesse, elegance, and graciousness. Seamless wine. How long will it last? 20-40 years.
2004 Beychevelle 92p
Tasted four times - last time in August 2011. Consistent notes. 55% Grand Vin. 45% CS, 42% M, 7%CF and 5% PV. Great, great effort from the property. It embraces you with a wonderfully aromatic nose, a taste of dark cherries, exquisite finesse, and elegance. It oozes the sheer class and pure style of traditional Bordeaux. This wine is expected to last 10-15 years due to its harmonious blend of fruit and tannin.
2003 Beychevelle 88p
Tasted four times - last time in September 2010. Consistent notes. Harvesting finished on September 30th. 53% CS, 34% M, 8% CF, and 5% PV. It is a hot vintage, no doubt, as the fruit is warm but not cooked. Beychevelle seems to have avoided dryness and edgy tannin through careful and thoughtful vinification. Nice grip, balance, and depth. 5-8 years from now.
2002 Beychevelle 90p
I tasted it six times, the last time in September 2009. Consistent notes. It is a pure heartbreaker wine with its round and pleasant texture, luscious berries, and soft aftertaste. It has a good grip and an aromatic touch and is very impressive for the vintage.
2001 Beychevelle 91-92p
Tasted seven times - last time in July 2020. Consistent notes. 55% Grand Vin. 54% CS, 39% M, 6%CF and 7% PV. Very minty wine. Sophisticated, very elegant, very stylish indeed. Potent and with a delicate balance. Authentic Bordeaux wine without all these modern vinification gimmicks! One to keep for another 10-15 years. Still OK in July 2020, with a decade to go.
2000 Beychevelle 94p
Tasted twice - last time in November 2011. Consistent notes. This wine was typical of Cabernet Sauvignon, characterized by its minty notes. It was sophisticated and refined with exquisite elegance, delicious fruit sweetness, great length, and fresh, lingering aftertaste. Seductive wine! 15-20 years horizontally.
1999 Beychevelle 86p
Tasted five times - last time in March 2009. Not consistent notes. It was a troublesome vintage due to excessive rainfall and insufficient sunshine. Wet cardboard, not fully ripe grapes, a bit dry on the palate, and short aftertaste. On its way down, it tasted much better in 2005 and March 2009.
1998 Beychevelle 90p
Tasted twice - last time in November 2008. Consistent notes. 49% CS, 45% M, and 6% PV. This vintage turned out to be better on the Right Bank than on the Left, as Merlot performed better than Cabernet Sauvignon. Quite dense and concentrated, luscious cherries, smooth and round on the palate. It lacks depth and structure. 10-12 years.
1996 Beychevelle 93p
I tasted it twice, last in November 2008. Consistent notes. 52% CS, 35% M, 7% CF, and 6% PV. This is a spectacular wine for the vintage. Cabernet Sauvignon matured perfectly in 1996, and you can taste the difference. It possesses a robust structure, impeccable balance, a splendid concentration of ripe blackcurrants and truffles, and a deep and multilayered palate. It is an excellent and stylish wine with aging potential of 10-15 years.
1995 Beychevelle 90p
Tasted in March 2009. It is a very aromatic and stylish wine, characterized by enchanting elegance and finesse. Creamy fruit and soft texture, round and gentle wine. There is pleasure for all the money in this wine, and it already drinks excellently.
1993 Beychevelle 85p
Tasted in April 2008 at the property. This wine showed barely perfect ripe fruit, but you don't expect too much when you know the bad weather was in this vintage. It's just a decent and quickly maturing wine.
1991 Beychevelle 82p
Tasted in April 2008 at the property. 20% of potential grapes were lost when black frost hit Bordeaux on the 21st of April. This wine showed notes of unripe fruit, a smell of wet cardboard, and edgy tannins, and was already in rapid decline.
1988 Beychevelle 92p
Tasted in April 2008 at the property. The last time I tasted Beychevelle, in 1988, was during a 1990 tasting in Copenhagen of over 20 vintages, but it has remained essentially unchanged since then. Still dark ruby red, complex on the nose and palate, well-knit, with refined concentration and balance, plus a smooth finish. Nice treat!
1986 Beychevelle 93p
Tasted twice - last time in November 2008. Consistent notes. I like this wine! This gem from a great Cabernet Sauvignon year didn't disappoint. It was a splendid wine, with much stuffing, a firm structure, notes of leather and tobacco, outstanding balance, and a long aftertaste. It still has 6-8 more years to go.
1982 Beychevelle 89-94p
Tasted in April 2008 at the property from a magnum. This wine was simply a beauty, with all the ingredients this vintage is famous for. Dense, full of perfectly ripe fruit, great structure, finesse, refinement, and superb balance. It's a great, great vintage for Beychevelle. 6–10 more years in the cellar. A 0.75L bottle of this vintage was tasted in November 2008 - more developed than I had thought. It's a bit jammy, nicely balanced, and has a pleasant, dark fruit character. 89p.
1978 Beychevelle 87p
Tasted in April 2008 at the property. This wine tried very hard to follow in the footsteps of 1986, but it had a greenish aroma on the nose and seemed to lack ripe fruit on the palate. Beychevelle's manager, Philippe Blanc, explained that the Cabernet Sauvignon plots at Beychevelle were harvested too early in this vintage.
1975 Beychevelle 88p
Tasted in November 2008. It's not my favorite vintage on the Left Bank, but Saint-Julien did produce some pretty good wines. Beychevelle suffers a bit from not being fully ripe CS, but overall, it's a very nicely made wine with no aggressive tannins, good depth, and a gentle aftertaste.
1970 Beychevelle 93p
I tasted this wine twice, the last time in April 2008 at the property. It reminded me of an adorable bottle I tasted in 1990 in Copenhagen. It is a tight, perfectly structured, well-balanced wine that impressed me with its youthfulness, length, and finish. Delightful.
1966 Beychevelle 89p
Tasted in April 2008 at the property. This wine had the same flavors as 1978 but with much less intensity. It was a broad-shouldered, compact, firm, and robust wine that wasn't over the hill. It will keep its ingredients together for a couple more years.
1959 Beychevelle 94p
It tasted at Domaine de Chevalier in March 2019. It was not in the same class as 1949, but you were quickly impressed by this wine's elegance, finesse, and graciousness. It is simply a delicious and delicate wine.
1955 Beychevelle 95p
I tasted it twice, last in November 2008. Consistent notes. It was an enormous pleasure to "meet" such an excellent and sophisticated piece of Beychevelle's history. It is an incredible, seductive, refined, beautifully balanced, and sweetly finishing wine. In November 2008, it had a very pure aroma of truffles. I will be going that strong for 5-6 more years.
1949 Beychevelle 97p
I tasted this wine in March 2019 during dinner at Domaine de Chevalier. This bottle came from my cellar and was recorked in the 1990s. It still tasted young and virile, with great acidity, an excellent truffle aroma, pure elegance and finesse, and a delicate, lingering finish. It's a stunning wine. It's very similar to the fabulous 1945 Beychevelle I tasted in 2015!
1945 Beychevelle 97p
Tasted twice - last time in April 2025. Consistent notes. Truffles, a beautifully aromatic nose, a stunningly gracious and stylish wine, and an excellent palate with lively fruit, tannin, and acidity. It had a smooth and generous finish. Awesome stuff! This was in April 2015. When I retasted it 10 years later during dinner at Domaine de Chevalier, this wine was still a formidable threat!!
Heavenly stuff!
1934 Beychevelle 97p
Tasted in April 2008 at the property. It was a showstopper of high esteem. I also tasted this wine in 1990, but it was a Danish bottling, impressive but not entirely up to the chateau bottling. This genuine 1934 from the cellars of Beychevelle was a pure delight and a perfect example of how beautifully Bordeaux can age. It has a fantastic structure, incredible balance, refined elegance and finesse, silky fruit, and what a seduction. It is simply an outstanding wine!!
1928 Beychevelle 97p
Tasted in November 2002. It is an impressively dark color. Dense and intense on the nose, with potent notes of ripe fruit, cocoa, and chocolate on the palate. It's a fabulous wine that is still going strong.