2023 Chateau Beychevelle - 4eme Cru Classe St. Julien

Decanter.com – 94 pts – GH: *Fragrant and floral note, fully expressive aromatically with strawberries and red cherries, you can definitely smell the Petit Verdot on the nose - intense. Clean and clear, a lovely weight in the mouth. Smooth but grippy too, tannins are svelte and super fine, this has nice ripe fruit, good body and mouthfeel and a long finish. Juicy, almost fleshy, this has some weight in the mouth. I like the depth, this has some chew, a soft hint of sweetness plus creamy chalkiness plus a lovely lift on the finish. Cool and crisp but well managed. Really excellent and very accessible, juicy and elegant. Highest ever proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. 6% press wine. Yields around 50hl/ha. 50% grand vin production. Ageing 18 months, 70% new oak. 1/3 aged in one year barrels.* - 04/2023

Falstaff Magazin – 93 pts – PM: *Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Dunkle Waldbeeren, feine Kräuterwürze, rote Herzkirschen, aber auch frische Feigen, dezente Edelholzanklänge. Mittlere Komplexität, gut Frische, feine, reife Tannine, mineralisch, rotbeerige Nuancen im Abgang, Rote Ribiseln im Nachhall.* - 05/2024

Vinum Magazin – 94/100 pts: *Offenherzig, reiffruchtig, expressiv, viel dunkle Frucht, Tiefe; der Gaumen beeindruckt, seidige Tannine, knackige Frucht, salin, lang, feinwürzig. Ausgezeichnet dieses Jahr.*

WeinWisser – 18/20 pts – GL, TW: *Opulentes Bouquet, Heidelbeerdrops, getrocknete Rosenblätter und Holundersaft. Am komplexen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, nerviger Rasse, engmaschigem Tanningerüst und trainiertem Körper. Im geradlinige straffen Finale blaubeerige Konturen, Cassiswürze, dunkles Graphit und feinsandige Adstringenz.* – 04/2024

JancisRobinson.com – 16,5+/20pts – JL: *61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot. Cask sample. Floral nose. Elegant texture and tannins. Suave, smooth and fresh. Not quite the depth of a top year but has all the components.* - 04/2024

Vinous.com – (94-96) pts – AG: *The 2023 Beychevelle is fabulous. As always, Beychevelle includes quite a bit more Merlot than most wines in the appellation, but the Cabernet is especially high here. Inky dark fruit, crème de cassis, mocha, licorice and lavender build in the glass. This juicy, extroverted Saint-Julien has a ton to offer. The combination of fruit intensity, acid and supporting structure is superb. The 2023 is showy, but not at all overdone. Beychevelle remains one of the most distinctive wines in all of Bordeaux. It is especially classy in this edition. Tasted two times.* - 04/2024

Vinous.com – (92-94) pts – NM: *The 2023 Beychevelle was picked from September 13 through October 6 over 17 days of harvest, partly because of the size of the crop and not having to rush. It has the highest proportion of Merlot under winemaker Philippe Blanc (35%), and it matured in 70% new oak. This has a notably floral and tightly-knit bouquet, leaning a little more toward blue fruit than other Saint-Julien wines tasted from barrel. The oak is nicely integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with strict tannins that impart a sense of linearity. Very saline, this is a saliva-inducing Beychevelle, lightly spiced with a structured, almost Pauillac-like finish. Excellent.* - 04/2024

Thewinecellarinsider.com – (94-96) pts – JL: *Black, red, and blue fruit, with a hint of chocolate, flowers, and espresso jump from the nose. The palate is packed with layers of supple, black cherries, vibrant black currants, cocoa, spice, black raspberries, and espresso. Energetic, medium-bodied, long, and intense, with purity, and lift, this is going to offer fabulous drinking with just a few years in the cellar. The key to the vintage this year was patience, which was to find the perfect moment to harvest. The wine blends 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot. This is the highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon ever used in the blend! 13.3% ABV, pH 3.67. The harvest took place September 13 - October 6. This is the longest harvest on record. 50% of the harvest was placed into the Grand Vin. Drink from 2029-2060.* - 05/2024