2008 Château Beychevelle, St Julien, Bordeaux

2008 Château Beychevelle, St Julien, Bordeaux

Product: 20088007528
Prices start from £1,075.00 per case Buying options
2008 Château Beychevelle, St Julien, Bordeaux

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Available by the case In Bond. Pricing excludes duty and VAT, which must be paid separately before delivery. Storage charges apply.
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12 x 75cl bottle
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Description

The enigmatic Philippe Blanc, director of Ch. Beychevelle, was in fine humour when we visited him to taste his 2008 Grand Vin. This estate just gets better and better and Philippe’s sunny disposition was a reflection of the bright fruit shining out of his wine. The round, plump, fleshy feel of 47% Merlot certainly comes across with opulent notes of ripe morello cherries but 48% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc add to its darker side and provide an elegant backbone. This is well balanced and rewarding: a fine achievement.

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Critics reviews

Wine Advocate89+/100
This ageworthy, elegant, well-made Beychevelle displays copious red and black cherry fruit notes intertwined with dusty, loamy soil and oak undertones, decent acidity, moderate tannin and impressive intensity as well as length. Give it 1-3 years of cellaring and enjoy it over the next 15-18 years.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 02/05/2011 Read more
Jancis Robinson MW17/20
Quite aromatic. Very neat. Lovely sweetness on the front and a perfume. Great balance. Fine tannins. Fresh without being tart. Very well put together even if not the most extreme 2008.
Jancis Robinson MW - jancisrobinson.com - Apr 09 Read more
Robert Parker89+/100
This ageworthy, elegant, well-made Beychevelle displays copious red and black cherry fruit notes intertwined with dusty, loamy soil and oak undertones, decent acidity, moderate tannin and impressive intensity as well as length. Give it 1-3 years of cellaring and enjoy it over the next 15-18 years.
Robert Parker- Wine Advocate- May 2011

Made in a seductive, soft, charming style, the 2008 Beychevelle is destined to be drunk during its first 15 years of life. It is a sensual St.-Julien offering pretty raspberry and cranberry fruit as well as hints of darker fruits on the palate. With soft tannins and good purity, this is a medium-bodied, well-made, evolved, forward 2008.
Robert Parker- Wine Advocate - Apr 09 Read more

About this WINE

Chateau Beychevelle

Chateau Beychevelle

Château Beychevelle is a 4ème Cru Classé St-Julien wine property that boasts one of the most impressive châteaux in the whole of the Médoc. Its label depicts a beautiful galley with a large sail, as a consequence of its ownership in the 16th century by the Duc d`Eperon, Admiral of France at the time. The expression "Baisse-Vaille", meaning "lower sails", later evolved into the name Beychevelle. Today the property is owned by Grands Millésimesde France.

Beychevelle's 85 hectares of vineyards are located in the far south of the St-Julien appellation, just outside the hamlet of St-Julien-Beychevelle. The wine is typically a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. It is matured in oak barrels (50-60% new) for 18 months. It is renowned for its suppleness, smoothness and its rich, and sometimes chocolatey character.

The best examples from the best Beychevelle vintages are powerful and concentrated, with oodles of almost sweet, ultra-ripe Cabernet fruit, and can age effortlessly.

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St Julien

St Julien

St Julien is the smallest of the "Big Four" Médoc communes. Although, without any First Growths, St Julien is recognised to be the most consistent of the main communes, with several châteaux turning out impressive wines year after year. 

St Julien itself is much more of a village than Pauillac and almost all of the notable properties lie to its south. Its most northerly château is Ch. Léoville Las Cases (whose vineyards actually adjoin those of Latour in Pauillac) but,  further south, suitable vineyard land gives way to arable farming and livestock until the Margaux appellation is reached.  

The soil is gravelly and finer than that of Pauillac, and without the iron content which gives Pauillac its stature. The homogeneous soils in the vineyards (which extend over a relatively small area of just over 700 hectares) give the commune a unified character.

The wines can be assessed as much by texture as flavour, and there is a sleek, wholesome character to the best. Elegance, harmony and perfect balance and weight, with hints of cassis and cedar, are what epitomise classic St Julien wines. At their very best they combine Margaux’s elegance and refinement with Pauillac’s power and substance.

Ch. Léoville Las Cases produces arguably the most sought-after St Julien, and in any reassessment of the 1855 Classification it would almost certainly warrant being elevated to First Growth status.

Recommended Châteaux: Ch. Léoville Las CasesCh.Léoville Barton, Ch Léoville Poyferré, Ch. Ducru-Beaucaillou, Ch Langoa Barton, Ch Gruaud Larose, Ch. Branaire-Ducru, Ch. Beychevelle

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Cabernet Sauvignon blend

Cabernet Sauvignon blend

Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.

In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.

In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and  Australia.

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