2015 Château Beychevelle, St Julien, Bordeaux

2015 Château Beychevelle, St Julien, Bordeaux

Product: 20158007528
 
2015 Château Beychevelle, St Julien, Bordeaux

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Description

Philippe Blanc was on top form when we visited him to taste his 2015. This estate seems to improve with every year that we visit and the initial sweetness on the palate here is terrific. The round, plump, fleshy feel of 47 percent Merlot is certainly evident and there is plenty of crunchy bright fruit here.

The wine is really fresh, inviting, sumptuous. Balanced and rewarding, the wine has a clear structure, with fine integration of vanilla spice, cassis fruit and silky tannin. A bit broody, the wine will benefit ageing.

Blend: 47% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot

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Critics reviews

Wine Advocate93/100
The 2015 Beychevelle is a blend of 47% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot aged 18 months in barrel, 50% of which were new and 50% second fill. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it's scented of smoked meats, scorched earth, garrigue and new leather with a core of cassis, cherry cordial and plum preserves. The medium-bodied palate is a little firm but delicate, with lovely vibrancy and a bit of grip on the finish.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - 21/02/2018 Read more
Jancis Robinson MW17/20
Bright crimson. Aromatic rather than concentrated. Racy and sinewy. Lots of charm and pzazz without being in the least heavy. Bravo!
Jancis Robinson - jancisrobinson.com - Apr 2016 Read more
Wine Spectator92-95/100
Tasting note yet to be published Read more
James Suckling92-93/100
This is very pretty with ultra-fine tannins, blueberry, blackberry and mineral flavors. Full body, integrated and balanced. Shows refinement and tension.
James Suckling - jamessuckling.com - Apr 2016
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Decanter
Lots of depth and more complexity of fruit than usual – more layered and better grip. This is a very classy Beychevelle, well up to its fourth-growth status.
Drink: 2022-2035
Steven Spurrier - decanter.com
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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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