2023 Château Beychevelle - 3er OHK

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.

- Antonio Galloni (04/2024)

Pure fruit to this, with blueberries, hazelnuts, walnut and blackcurrants. Just like eating grapes at this stage. It has a full body, juicy tannins and a savory finish. Remains vivid and energetic. (05/2024)

From a château that seems to have hit another gear over the past five to seven years, the 2023 Château Beychevelle is based on 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot, pulled from 60% of the total production, and will see 18 months in 70% new French oak. Its deep purple hue is followed by a deep, rich, medium to full-bodied Saint-Julien loaded with ripe red and blue fruits, leafy herbs, truffle, iron, and spring flowers. It's medium to full-bodied, has a remarkable sense of freshness and purity, velvety tannins, and outstanding length. The 2023 hit 13.3% alcohol with a rock-solid pH of 3.67. (05/2024)

The 2023 Beychevelle represents 50% of this year's crop. Deep garnet-purple in color, it springs with vibrant notes of redcurrant jelly and blackcurrant pastilles giving way to an undercurrent of cranberries, crushed rocks, and wild thyme plus a hint of black olives. The light to medium-bodied palate is refreshing and pure, with a slight chewiness to the well-managed tannins, finishing on a savory note. The blend is 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot. This is the highest proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in Beychevelle ever, following the new plans to include more of this variety. (05/2024)

The 2023 Beychevelle has turned out especially well this year, exhibiting a more integrated, seductive style than recent vintages that were constructed in a punchier, more extracted register. Offering up aromas of cassis and plums mingled with notions of pen ink, violets and pencil shavings, it's medium to full-bodied, broad and fleshy, with a deep core of fruit and a classy, suave profile that foregrounds the estate's prime vineyard holdings on the plateau around Ducru-Beaucaillou. It's a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot that represents 50% of the estate's production.

- William Kelley (04/2024)