Château Beychevelle

With greater care in the vineyard and more precision in the winery, Château Beychevelle's star is rising. That's in large part due to the leadership of Philippe Blanc and investment by current owners, Japanese brewers Suntory and French wine group Castel.

Château Beychevelle

About the producer

Legend has it that in the 17th century, ships sailing past the property lowered their sails as they passed as a mark of respect to the owner, an admiral, the Duke of Épernon. The Gascon term for lower the sails, "becha vela", gives rise to the name Beychevelle.

Classified as a Fourth Growth in 1855, this gravel-rich Saint-Julien vineyard boasts approximately 90 hectares under vine. A little over half of the vineyard is devoted to Cabernet Sauvignon and the current custodians hope to increase that proportion while reducing the ratio of Merlot.

The flesh and juice of the Merlot means that Beychevelle can often be more voluptuous than its Saint-Julien neighbours. Further modernisation means pesticides and insecticides are no longer used and in 2008, organic viticulture was adopted across one-third of the property.

An ultra-modern winery welcomed its first grapes during the 2016 harvest. The investment is hoped to bring greater precision with small vats to ferment parcel by parcel: temperature and extraction methods are adjusted to the characteristics of each vat.

What's more Beychevelle is now harnessing gravity to move the wines on their journey from berry to bottle. Traditional barrel maturation takes place over 16-18 months with around 50% new oak used for the top wine.

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