Château Beychevelle

Beychevelle guards the southern gate of Saint-Julien, its gardens running down toward the Gironde. The name is folklore made permanent: passing ships were said to lower their sails — baisse-voile — in salute to the Duke of Épernon, admiral of France and the estate's sixteenth-century owner, and a dragon-prowed vessel has sailed on the label ever since. The vineyard covers some ninety hectares of deep gravel, Cabernet Sauvignon-led with a generous Merlot complement, and the wine is Saint-Julien in its most charming register: silky, aromatic, medium-bodied claret that drinks well young and ages with grace. A fourth growth of 1855, owned today by Grands Millésimes de France, the Castel and Suntory partnership.