Château Beychevelle

33250 Saint-Julien-Beychevelle

Tél. : +33 (0)5 56 73 20 70

contact@beychevelle.com

www.beychevelle.com

Château Beychevelle, the Admiral's wine

Discover Château Beychevelle, 4th Cru Classé in 1855 in the Saint-Julien appellation

Château Beychevelle is located in the commune of Saint-Julien-Beychevelle. With its 250 hectares, including 92.5 hectares of vines, this fourth Cru Classé in 1855 is considered one of the appellation's most renowned crus, but it is also one of the Médoc's most architecturally beautiful châteaux, nicknamed “the Versailles of the Médoc”. Since the 1980s, Beychevelle has belonged to the Grands Millésimes de France company, which also owns Château Beaumont and the Barrières Frères wine merchant. In 2011, Les Grands Millésimes de France was taken over in equal shares by the Castel group (the leading wine merchant) and the Japanese Suntory group (owner of Château Lagrange).

The “Versailles of the Médoc” and its three centuries of history.

Château Beychevelle can look back on three centuries of history, having been successively owned by very powerful noble families who have contributed to the cru's renown, but its history goes back to the Middle Ages, when the estate was managed by the Counts of Foix-Candale, with the construction of the château in 1565 by Bishop François de Foix-Candale. The château then belonged to the Duc d'Épernon, Jean-Louis de Nogaret de la Valette. It was under his reign that the name “Beychevelle” was first given to the château. The man was very powerful, and ships passing in front of the château on the Gironde estuary were systematically required to lower their sails as a sign of allegiance to the Duke. The name “Baisse-Voile” became “Beychevelle”.

The estate then passed into the hands of Jean-Baptiste d'Abadie, Baron de Lamarque et Beychevelle, who replanted the vines in 1709 after what is said to have been a terrible frost. In 1717, his nephew Etienne-François de Brassier inherited the estate. Passionate about wine, he developed the vineyard and exploited his terroir. Under his reign, the small port of Beychevelle was built. In 1787, Delphine Catherine de Brassier became the owner. She managed to keep the estate intact during the turmoil of the French Revolution in 1789. In the 1980's, and more precisely in 1986, the château became the property of an insurance company associated with Suntory from 1989. Today, and since 2011, the château belongs to Grands Millésimes de France, owned by the Castel group (a French Bordeaux wine merchant and owner of the Nicolas wine shop franchise) and the Japanese Suntory group, which also owns the prestigious Château Lagrange, another 1855 Classified Growth in the Saint-Julien appellation.

A technical reconfiguration for greater expression and precision.

The Château Beychevelle vineyard covers 92.5 hectares. The rest of the property is made up of meadows grazed by Limousin cows, pine, poplar and ash forests. Benefiting from a temperate oceanic climate, the Gironde estuary close to the vineyard plays a vital role in protecting and regulating the climate. This is an advantage enjoyed only by the Grands Crus bordering the estuary. The soil is composed of Garonne gravel and a clay-gravel subsoil. The vines, on average just over 30 years old, have developed a root system that enables them to draw on all the nutrients they need, so they never run out of water or suffer too much from the heat.

Beychevelle uses four Médoc grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon 62%, Merlot 31%, Cabernet Franc 5% and Petit Verdot. Each grape variety has its own plot, depending on the characteristics and constraints of the terroir.

Under the impetus of Managing Director Philippe Blanc and his teams, Château Beychevelle was awarded a certificate of compliance with the “Terra Vitis” specifications in 2005. These specifications recognize respect for the terroir, its culture, people, society and consumers.

To preserve the environment and the expressive character and taste of each terroir, Beychevelle uses integrated farming methods and organic farming in around a third of its vineyards. As no herbicides are used, the château's production is ISO 14001 certified.

Finally, since 2017, Château Beychevelle has had a contemporary vat room and cellar, for greater functionality and performance, all at the service of modern, more parcel-based vinification. More spacious and better sized, it enables gentle gravity loading of the vats, precise temperature control and tailor-made extractions.

Elegant, delicate Beychevelle wines.

Beychevelle offers the most demanding consumers three wines. Le Grand Vin, Château Beychevelle, l'Amiral de Beychevelle (a second wine named after one of its illustrious owners), and Brulières de Beychevelle in the Haut-Médoc appellation.

Grand Vin Château Beychevelle reflects the elegance and finesse of Saint-Julien terroirs. Produced from the best plots in the vineyard and rigorously selected, it is a graceful, complex wine with a rich aroma. It will take around 10 years to reveal its full potential. 

The château's second wine, Amiral de Beychevelle, is made from young vines and benefits from the same traditional sorting and ageing practices as the grand vin. Elegant and fine, it reveals itself in its youth and can be kept for up to 15 years, depending on the vintage.

The latest cuvée, Les Brulières de Beychevelle, is in the Haut Médoc appellation. Located 5km from the Beychevelle vineyards, these 12 hectares of vines are further from the estuary, benefiting from a cooler climate. Organically farmed, they are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It benefits from the same care as the Grand and Second wines, but is vinified and matured in a separate cellar.

Château Beychevelle 2022

Made from 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot, Château Beychevelle 2022 is a wine of great aromatic and taste richness. The nose offers aromas of ripe red fruit. Elegant and fine. The palate, which perfectly reflects the subtleties of the terroir, has a fine tannic structure, with tight but well-integrated tannins and great complexity. The wine is full of energy, almost taut. A great Beychevelle to wait for.

L’Amiral de Beychevelle 2019

From a rigorous selection to shape the Grand Vin, Amiral de Beychevelle 2019 is elegant with a finesse it shares or borrows from the Grand Vin. Harvested from September 23 to October 11, the grapes (68% Cabernet Sauvignon and 32% Merlot in the blend) are both delicious and fresh. In this vintage, the wine has fresh fruit and a tannic structure full of roundness and finesse. It's a charming wine, more accessible than its predecessor, but one that will keep for a good ten years or more.

Great vintages of Château Beychevelle

1928-1929-1945-1947-1949-1953-1955-1959-1961-1970-1975-1978-1981-1982-1983-1985-1986-1988-1989-1990-1996-2000-2003-2005-2009-2010-2015-2016-2018-2019-2020-2022-2023