2020 Chateau Beychevelle - 4eme Cru Classe St. Julien

Decanter.com – 96 pts – GH: *Scented and perfumed - violet tones, almost a touch of liqueur fruit to the nose, aromatic with dark chocolate touches too. Bright and shining, this is sleek, quite delicately displayed in terms of texture but this has layers of savoury elements - liquorice, clove, tobacco with bright red fruits and dark bramble fruits. Clean and compelling. Well made with tons of confidence. So complete, juicy in a heady seductive way, this is deeply scented, driven and brooding but perfectly weighted to keep the right side of being too heavy. Refreshing but devilishly charming - it leaves a clean feeling in the mouth where you just want to taste it again.* - 01/2023

Falstaff Magazin – 94 pts – PM: *Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, opaker Kern, zarte Randaufhellung. Attraktive schwarze Kirschfrucht, feines Cassis, ein Hauch von Kräuterwürze, zart mit Lakritze unterlegt. Saftig, frische rote Kirschen, süße Zwetschken, seidige, reife Tannine, mineralisch-salzig im Abgang, delikater, zugänglicher Stil, balanciert und gut anhaftend. (2028–2045).* - 02/2023

LPB - 04/21 - 94-96pts: *Deep pruple-black colored, the 2020 Beychevelle offers up vibrant notes of black raspberries, fresh black cherries and cassis, plus hints of wild sage, chocolate mint, rose hip tea and fallen leaves, with an exotic hint of Indian spices. (...)*

Vinum Magazin – 16,5/20pts: *Ausbaugeprägt, Noten von Bitterschokolade und Kirsche; beginnt kompakt, mit spürbar dichter, fester Textur, perfekt reifes Tannin, gut eingebundener Alkohol und langes, fruchtgeprägtes Finale. Gehört zu den besten Weinen dieses Gutes, 17 Punkte wert, wenn das so auf die Flasche kommt.* - 09/2021

WeinWisser – 17,5/20pts – GL, TW: *Feingliedriges Bouquet, rote Grütze und Himbeerkonfitüre, dahinter Sandelholz und Estragon. Am geradlinigen Gaumen weiche Textur, nervige Rasse und mittlerer Körper. Im gebündelten feinaromatischen Finale rotbeerige Konturen, Wachsnoten und feinsandige Adstringenz. Fällt im Vergleich zu den Primeurs leicht ab.* – 03/2023

JancisRobinson.com – 17/20pts – JH: *51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot. Very dark with blackish core. Scented with sweet blackberry and cassis, rich and so openly fragrant. Firm, chewy but smooth tannins, so much lovely fruit spilling over the tannins. And a bite of freshness on the finish. Generous and long.* - 11/2022

JamesSuckling.com - 94-95pts - JS : *Sweet-berry and tobacco character with blackberries and violets. It's full-bodied with firm, polished tannins and a fresh fruit. Very fine at the end.* - 05/2021

Vinous.com – 96 pts – AG: *The 2020 Beychevelle is a wild, exotic beauty. Blackberry jam, gravel, crushed rocks menthol and espresso ristretto give Beychevelle its flamboyant personality. All the elements are so well balanced in this full-throttle, hugely enjoyable Saint-Julien. The 2020 is lights out.* - 12/2022

Vinous.com – 93 pts – NM: *The 2020 Beychevelle was perplexing from barrel. Re-tasting it three or four times, I discerned a faint but nagging vegetal note on the finish, though it was not evident on a bottle subsequently tasted at the property, which governed my banded score. Returning to Bordeaux to taste the wines that had been bottled in June 2022, I certainly appreciate the bouquet that is clean and pure with blackberry, bilberry, cedar and background sous-bois aromas. The oak is beautifully integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins and well-judged acidity. Quite intense black fruit laced with graphite, perhaps a tad more peppery than usual. On the first bottle encountered at a merchant, I picked up on the green note that sent alarm bells ringing. A second bottle at the château unequivocally showed no signs at all, very sleek and poised with a residual tingle of black pepper. Based on this sample, I am cautiously optimistic about this Beychevelle, though I will always keep a lookout for that trait.* - 12/2022

Thewinecellarinsider.com – 96 pts – JL: *The nose opens with a gorgeous display of flowers, chocolate, tobacco, black currants, blackberries, licorice, wet forest floor and espresso. As good as the perfume is, the wine is all about its layers of creamy, fresh, sweet, ripe, dark red pit fruits on the palate. The wine is full-bodied, elegant, lifted and refined, with length and purity to top it all off. The wine should age effortlessly for 3 decades, yet drink well, relatively early. Drink from 2025-2060.* - 03/2023