CHATEAU BEYCHEVELLE
Château Beychevelle (4th Growth) in Saint-Julien has its origins in the original fortified farms along the Gironde River and is in many ways unique in Bordeaux. Not least because of its classical castle architecture and beautiful gardens; the castle is often referred to as Bordeaux's answer to Versailles. Read more


Château Beychevelle


Château Beychevelle (4th Growth) in Saint-Julien has its origins in the original fortified farms along the Gironde River and is in many ways unique in Bordeaux. Not least because of its classical castle architecture and beautiful gardens; the castle is often referred to as Bordeaux's answer to Versailles.
The history goes all the way back to 1446 when Château d’Issan (3rd Growth) in Margaux was owned by the Foix Candale family. In 1565, Bishop François de Foix Candale initiated the construction of the grand castle on the Beychevelle plateau. The castle, like most others in the region, has had a tumultuous existence with ups and downs, perhaps more extreme due to its size. Maintaining the many large buildings and the garden, not to mention the extensive land holdings, has been exceptionally costly.
Today, the castle is owned by two beverage giants, Japanese Suntory and French CASTEL. Massive investments have been made, bringing the castle back to its former glory, especially in terms of the quality of the wines.
The estate comprises an impressive 250 hectares, of which 90 hectares are planted with vines. These are distributed in 14 different blocks, consisting of almost 60 different parcels. The best vines are planted on the Beychevelle plateau, covering approximately 20 hectares, stretching from the castle down towards the Gironde River. Château Ducru-Beaucaillou (2nd Growth) is the closest neighbor to the good vines on the lush lands.
Of the 90 hectares, 52% is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% with Merlot, 5% with Cabernet Franc, and 3% with Petit Verdot. The goal is to gradually replace some of the Merlot vines with more Cabernet Sauvignon in the future.
The annual production of the estate is approximately 300,000 bottles of the 1st wine Château Beychevelle 4th Growth and around 150,000 bottles of the 2nd wine Amiral de Beychevelle.
Château Beychevelle wines were previously synonymous with traditional Bordeaux – truly good aging wines filled with blackberries, earth, spices, and tobacco. Today, the wines remain traditional, but the quality has been elevated to the point where they are now considered some of the region's absolute best wines, with a unique purity and elegance playing alongside impressive fullness and concentration.
Winemaker Romain Ducolomb, who previously worked at Château Clinet in Pomerol, has been the man who, along with the daily manager Philippe Blanc, significantly elevated the wines. The wines can be enjoyed young with at least a couple of hours of air. However, the wine is usually better with eight to 12 years in the bottle, depending on the vintage's character. In the best vintages, the bottle should age for 10-35 years, again considering the individual vintage. Younger vintages should be decanted for two to four hours, while older vintages only need decanting to remove sediment.
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