Chateau Beychevelle 2019

The 2019 wines have good, strong colors, well-defined, fresh fruit, and a more moderate alcohol content than the previous vintage; their tannic structures reveal impressive elegance and depth. The volumes harvested enabled a very rigorous selection - around 55% - to produce a grand vin in the tradition of its predecessors.

Blend: 49% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc

Wine Spectator: 93
Dark, with plum, açaí and blackberry compote notes, this is juicy and expressive. Features racy wood spice, graphite and apple wood notes, which give this a structured feel through the finish. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025.

Wine Advocate: 94
Aromas of raspberries, currants, pencil shavings and sweet spices introduce the 2019 Beychevelle, a medium to full-bodied, supple and enveloping wine that's fleshy and seamless, with a generous core of fruit, ripe tannins and succulent acids, concluding with an expansive finish. This is an open-knit, demonstrative Saint-Julien that will offer a broad drinking window. Best after 2025.

Decanter: 94
A confident and well expressed Beychevelle, this is bristling with blackberry and cassis fruits, creamy through the mid palate as so many of the best wines are in this vintage. It's broad shouldered which takes it a little out of appellation signature, but the glamour is well balanced by a lovely crushed mint leaf finish.

Wine Enthusiast: 96
Dense and concentrated, this wine is layered in dark tannins, rich chocolate and black fruits. The estate is producing richer wines than in the past without sacrificing the Saint-Julien style.

Vinous: 96
The 2019 Beychevelle has a very appealing, quite intellectual, pencil box and earthy nose that unfurls in the glass, taut and focused, the oak supremely well integrated. The palate is beautifully balanced with finely-sculpted tannins, wonderful balance, fresh and mineral-driven with a precise and complex finish. Superb sapidity, this is top notch with a long future ahead. Time to raise my score.

James Suckling: 96
Gorgeous aromas of currants, crushed stones, blackberries and flowers. Full-bodied with refined tannins that are long and very polished. Creamy texture. It goes on for minutes. Lovely energy and sophistication to this. Try after 2026.

Jeb Dunnuck: 95
Coming in close to equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with just a splash of Cabernet Franc, the 2019 Château Beychevelle shows a classic Saint-Julien purity and finesse-driven style as well as notes of red and blue fruits, sappy flowers, tobacco, and chalky minerality. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, I love its overall balance and purity of fruit, it has silky tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. This wine always has upfront appeal, but the 2019 will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and should have 30 years of overall longevity. Best after 2026.

Jeb Dunnuck: 95

Coming in close to equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with just a splash of Cabernet Franc, the 2019 Château Beychevelle shows a classic Saint-Julien purity and finesse-driven style as well as notes of red and blue fruits, sappy flowers, tobacco, and chalky minerality. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, I love its overall balance and purity of fruit, it has silky tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. This wine always has upfront appeal, but the 2019 will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and should have 30 years of overall longevity. Best after 2026.