Chateau Beychevelle 4eme Cru Classe, Saint-Julien 2016

I was able to taste the 2016 Château Beychevelle on two occasions, and it showed beautifully both times. This is also the first vintage made in the new cellar. Medium to full-bodied, incredibly seamless and elegant on the palate, yet beautifully concentrated, it offers a heavenly perfume of spring flowers, violets, saddle leather, and blueberry and cassis fruit. A blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and the rest Cabernet Franc, brought up in 50% new oak, it’s still tight, taunt, and reserved on the palate, yet has the hallmark purity of fruit and balance of the vintage front and center. Hide bottles for 4-6 years, and it will keep for 25+ years or more.

The 2016 Beychevelle has a stunning bouquet of vibrant, shimmering blackberry and wild strawberry fruit laced with crushed stone and rose petals. The well-balanced palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin and a slightly savory/dried blood finish that lingers in the mouth. Tasting both in London and in Bordeaux, I found the latter bottle to have a little more precision and race on the finish. This will surely be a benchmark for this Saint Julien estate.

Approaching its drinking window although still with some austere edges to shake off, rose petal and cassis, mint, great St Julien typicty and balance, tobacco leaf and cigar box finish, lovely. 60% new oak for ageing.

Made from 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Beychevelle is deep garnet-purple in color. It comes barreling out of the glass with boisterous notes of crushed black plums, boysenberry preserves, and black raspberries, plus suggestions of mocha, black olives, smoked meats, and cumin seed. Medium-bodied, the palate is densely laden with black fruit preserves and savory layers, framed by firm, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long and fruity.

Stacks of cassis, graphite and smoke on the nose of this rather full-bodied St.-Julien with a ton of velvety tannins that drive the long finish that’s simultaneously sweet, fresh and powdery. Try in 2022.

The 2016 Beychevelle offers quite a bit of up-front intensity and immediacy. Fruity, supple and forward, the 2016 holds quite a bit of appeal, although it is not as persistent or complex as I had hoped it would be, especially given how exceptional so many Saint-Juliens are in 2016. Tasted two times.

By this vintage, the gravity-operated vat room and cellar were in operation, with smaller steel vats allowing for greater parcel selection. Still closed on the nose, though with firm blackcurrant and blackberry aromas in the background, it’s suave and concentrated, showing ripe tannins and ample acidity. The wine seems balanced, though it’s not showing much complexity yet. Structured and persistent.