Chateau Beychevelle 4eme Cru Classe, Saint-Julien 2018

An unabashedly flamboyant, exotic wine, the 2018 Beychevelle possesses tremendous richness and raciness right out of the gate. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, liquorice, spice, menthol and espresso infuse this sumptuous Saint-Julien with striking aromatic and flavour complexity. Soft contours and silky tannins add to its irresistibly sensual personality. Time in the cellar should help the new oak assimilate, but readers should be prepared for a full-throttle, heady wine.

Drink 2028 - 2043

The flagship 2018 Château Beychevelle is a more serious, concentrated, focused wine that still has that classic Saint-Julien purity of fruit and a wealth of fruit. Gorgeous notes of crème de cassis, chocolate-covered blueberries, violets, spring flowers, tobacco leaf, and cedar notes all emerge from the glass, and it's medium to full-bodied, with sweet tannins, moderate acidity, and a great, great finish. 

A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, it's one of the sexiest, most up-front and irresistible wines in the vintage. Don't let that scare you, though; it's going to drink beautifully for 2-3 decades.

Drink 2021 - 2051

Aged for around 18 months in barrel, 60% new and 40% second fill, the 2018 Beychevelle needs a fair bit of swirling to release classic notes of cassis, plum preserves and ripe blackberries, with emerging suggestions of unsmoked cigars, tilled soil and cedar chest, plus a waft of pencil lead. 

The medium to full-bodied palate is still very tightly wound, offering finely packed black fruit and earthy layers within a frame of firm, grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and mineral-laced. This will need a good 5-6 years to come around, and then it will drink beautifully over the next 20+ years.

Drink 2026 - 2046

Currants and blackberries with crushed stone and fresh herbs. Some flower stems, too. It’s full-bodied yet tight and linear with firm, driven tannins. This needs four or five years of bottle age to open and come together. 

Try after 2025

The 2018 Beychevelle has a very intense nose, easily the most flamboyant of the modern era, with precocious black cherries, creme de cassis and violet scents. The palate is medium-bodied with layers of toasty black fruit laced with white pepper and thyme that exert an insistent grip. This shows slightly better than from my tastings just after bottling, though I maintain that the 2019 is the better of the two vintages. Tasted at the Beychevelle vertical at the property.

Drink 2025 - 2050