2015 Château Beychevelle Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot - France Bordeaux > Left Bank > St Julien
As the intensity of fruit, flavour and alcohol increases, so does the ‘body’ and weight of the wine. Think of medium to full-bodied reds as the goldilocks zone, where ripe fruit flavours are balanced with underlying acidity, oak and tannins.
The 2015 Beychevelle was picked between 22 September and 8 October, a blend of 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot that will be matured in 50% new oak. It has quite a high IPT at 81, a pH of 3.72. It has a clean and crisp bouquet, tightly-wound at first, then unfurls with redcurrant, cranberry and raspberry scents, leaning towards the red spectrum rather than black. There is impressive delineation here, no frills, almost clinical in its "aromatic efficiency." The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. This is a suave Beychevelle in the making, harmonious in the mouth, supple even, gently building towards a lightly spiced finish. Among the Saint Julien wines, this is clearly one of the more understated 2015s. It is only when you swallow the wine that its lingering flavors remind you that this could evolve into one of Philippe Blanc's great Beychevelles. While it is not a headline- grabbing wine, a decade in bottle will be handsomely rewarded.
92-94 points
Neal Martin - eRobertParker.com #224 (Apr 2016)
As the intensity of fruit, flavour and alcohol increases, so does the ‘body’ and weight of the wine. Think of medium to full-bodied reds as the goldilocks zone, where ripe fruit flavours are balanced with underlying acidity, oak and tannins.
The 2015 Beychevelle was picked between 22 September and 8 October, a blend of 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot that will be matured in 50% new oak. It has quite a high IPT at 81, a pH of 3.72. It has a clean and crisp bouquet, tightly-wound at first, then unfurls with redcurrant, cranberry and raspberry scents, leaning towards the red spectrum rather than black. There is impressive delineation here, no frills, almost clinical in its "aromatic efficiency." The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. This is a suave Beychevelle in the making, harmonious in the mouth, supple even, gently building towards a lightly spiced finish. Among the Saint Julien wines, this is clearly one of the more understated 2015s. It is only when you swallow the wine that its lingering flavors remind you that this could evolve into one of Philippe Blanc's great Beychevelles. While it is not a headline- grabbing wine, a decade in bottle will be handsomely rewarded.
92-94 points
Neal Martin - eRobertParker.com #224 (Apr 2016)
As the intensity of fruit, flavour and alcohol increases, so does the ‘body’ and weight of the wine. Think of medium to full-bodied reds as the goldilocks zone, where ripe fruit flavours are balanced with underlying acidity, oak and tannins.
The 2015 Beychevelle was picked between 22 September and 8 October, a blend of 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot that will be matured in 50% new oak. It has quite a high IPT at 81, a pH of 3.72. It has a clean and crisp bouquet, tightly-wound at first, then unfurls with redcurrant, cranberry and raspberry scents, leaning towards the red spectrum rather than black. There is impressive delineation here, no frills, almost clinical in its "aromatic efficiency." The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. This is a suave Beychevelle in the making, harmonious in the mouth, supple even, gently building towards a lightly spiced finish. Among the Saint Julien wines, this is clearly one of the more understated 2015s. It is only when you swallow the wine that its lingering flavors remind you that this could evolve into one of Philippe Blanc's great Beychevelles. While it is not a headline- grabbing wine, a decade in bottle will be handsomely rewarded.
92-94 points
Neal Martin - eRobertParker.com #224 (Apr 2016)
