Château Beychevelle 2023

Candid, ripe-fruited, expressive, lots of dark fruit, with depth; the palate impresses, silky tannins, crisp fruit, saline, long, delicately spicy. Excellent this year.

Fragrant and floral, fully expressive aromatically with strawberries and red cherries; you can clearly smell the Petit Verdot on the nose—intense. Clean and clear, with a lovely weight on the palate. Smooth yet grippy too, the tannins are svelte and super fine; this has nice ripe fruit, good body and mouthfeel, and a long finish. Juicy, almost fleshy, with some weight in the mouth. I like the depth—there’s some chew, a soft hint of sweetness, creamy chalkiness, and 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 50 hl/ha. 50% grand vin production. Aging 18 months, 70% new oak. 1/3 aged in one-year barrels.

The 2023 Beychevelle was bottled in June 2025. "It underwent a strict selection, so this Grand Vin represents 53% of the total crop," winemaker Philippe Blanc told me. Allowing this five minutes to open in the glass, it has a refined bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit, cedar and a sprig of wild mint. Clean and precise, it gains intensity yet always conveys a sense of control. The palate is medium-bodied with svelte tannins. Again, much like the Amiral de Beychevelle, it has a precise and refreshing mineralité-driven finish that lingers in the mouth. This is a delicious Beychevelle that will just need three to four years in bottle.

Chocolate, flowers, red with black fruits, and espresso in the nose take a bit of effort before unfurling. The wine provides a reserved sense of creaminess, fresh, energetic red fruits, hints of minty freshness, and spice, adding complexity. Which is a good thing, as here you find length paired with a refreshing elegance from the mid-palate that carries through to the finish. 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! Drink from 2029-2060.

Dark ruby, purple reflections, brightening at the rim. Dark forest berries, fine herbal savouriness, red cherries, also fresh figs, hints of fine oak. Medium complexity, good freshness, fine, ripe tannins, mineral, red berry nuances in the finish, redcurrants in the aftertaste.

Opulent bouquet with blueberry drops, dried rose petals and elderberry juice. On the complex palate, a silky texture, vibrant tension, a tight-knit tannic framework and a well-trained body. The finish is straight and taut, with blueberry contours, cassis spice, dark graphite and finely sandy astringency.

Tasting just a few months on from En Primeur, this has a kick of white pepper and capsicum spice, excellent freshness and balance with elongated tannins and a kick of smoky black tea and liquorice root. Good stuff, 60% new oak for ageing.

Score: 92–94. Fresh fruit (blackcurrant) dominates on the nose, joined by more delicate notes of rosehip and bay leaf. Superb energy on the palate, like an athlete awaiting the starting signal, with delightfully tangy substance, barely outlined by velvety tannins. The finish, full of cheer, delivers notes of mocha with panache.

A lovely fruity nose, generous, textured, fresh and precise. It shows notes of violet, toasted nuances and, more subtly, camphor, with touches of roasted, juicy strawberry and fairly ripe/pulpy cherry, as well as hints of infusion, smoke and toast, and an almost Mediterranean touch. The palate is beautifully juicy, fruity, fresh, mineral and balanced, offering a tangy backbone, accuracy, lovely energy, suppleness and roundness. It delivers notes of pulpy/juicy cherry and violet, and more subtly fleshy/bright blackcurrant, joined by touches of cornflower, roasted, juicy red berries, as well as hints of smoke, toast and graphite on the finish/persistence. A certain mid-palate mellowness, freshness, precision, tanginess, sparkle and brightness, with a fine, almost chocolatey note. The tannins are mellow, precise and sapid. Lovely brilliance, notes of bigarreau cherry, a fine touch of pulpy purple plum, freshness, and a lovely tannin and grain feel. A very discreet hint of pleasant bitterness in the background/persistence.

This is lovely, with gently crushed blueberry, açaí and blackberry fruit flavors that are fresh and delineated, carried by a subtle graphite note and gilded with violet and anise through the sleek, focused finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2027 through 2040. 21,000 cases made.