Pour Boys Wine Dinner at Del Ray Beach Wine Kitchen

Pour Boys Wine Dinner at Wine Kitchen Wine Cellar in Del Ray Beach

The Pour Boys descended upon Del Ray Beach to visit Bob & Gloria in their sunshine state home for a mini-reunion. We held a wine dinner in the private cellar dining room at Wine Kitchen in Del Ray Beach. We dined there on our previous trips to the area and planned a dinner in their cellar private dining room on our next trip into town. 

I first wrote about the Delray Beach Wine Room Kitchen Wine and Cheese Bar after our first visit back in 2019. They boast to have "The World's Largest Selection of Wine by the Glass!"  with over 200 hand-selected wines available through their Enomatic wine dispensing machines. Bill and I visited there again when we were in town later in the year and had a Spectacular Wine Cheese Pairing featuring Cliff Lede Poetry 2004.

Rick & Bob with Wine Director Ron Mitchell
in the cellar during our winter visit last year

A major attraction of the venue for serious wine aficionados is their extensive wine cellar of fine wines with a Reserve List of top vintage wines dating back several decades. Most importantly, they offer such wines at close to retail prices rather than marking them up 1.5, 2 or two and a half times retail or more.

The Reserve Wine List includes extraordinary vintage selections of premium and super premium wines including First Growth classified Bordeaux that are also offered at fair market price or current retail prices for such wines, a fraction of what most other restaurants would charge.

With this enticement, we reserved the private dining room for our gathering. Dr Dan and our two Lindas and I flew in from Chicago, and Bill and Beth C drove down from Charleston. 

We selected a flight of extraordinary wines, perfectly paired with the selection of artisan cheeses and charcuterie, our pre-entree selections, our entrees and the dessert courses. 

One of the showcase highlights of the Del Ray Wine Kitchen, beyond the wine BTG (By-The-Glass) selections and the Fine and Rare Cellar Collections, is their Cheese program. The Cheese program is designed and developed by world-renowned Maître Fromager and James Beard award-winner Max McCalman. He was America's first restaurant-based Maître Fromager. Max was honored by L'Esprit Alimentaire (French Food Spirit Awards) in NYC. 

Max is the author of Mastering Cheese which received the World's Best Book on Cheese award in Paris at the 16th Annual Gourmand World Cookbook Awards and was designated a finalist by the prestigious International Association of Culinary Professionals.

Max has also written two more books on cheese - "The Cheese Plate" (Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2002), which was nominated for awards by the James Beard Foundation and by the International Association of Cooking Professionals, and Cheese: A Connoisseur's Guide to the World's Best (Clarkson Potter, 2005), an expansive reference on the world's finest cheeses and their wine pairings, which won a 2006 James Beard Award. 

Max personally currated our cheese and charcuterie plates from the incredible selection of over 80 cheeses and a broad variety of charcuterie meats in a Mix & Match offering. In addition to the cheeses were olives, almonds and artichoke hearts. 

Max was so into the cheeses and the whole culinary experience, he made no effort to leverage the opportunity to promote or commercialize his brand. Earlier in the day I asked that he come in and meet us and bring and sign copies of his book which we looked forward to purchasing. We never got around to it. A missed opportunity for all.

The Wine selected was guided by Wine Director Ron Mitchell. 

Our wine flight journey started with this extraordinary white with the cheese and charcuterie selections. 

Kongsgaard Napa Valley Carneros Chardonnay 2016

John Kongsgaard and his wife Maggy are fith-generation Napa natives. They began their Napa Valley wine experience in the 1970s planting The Judge vineyard on the Kongsgaard estate family land near Napa. The inaugural Kongsgaard wines came in 1996. 

Today, in addition to their legendary signature estate The Judge labels, they produce a portfolio of Napa Valley varietal wines - Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and Albariño. They craft their wines in their underground winery — a cave dug into the volcanic rock, high on the eastern rim of the Napa Valley where they have also planted their spectacular mountain vineyard. 

My son's and I had the Kongsgaard Carneros Hudson Ranch Syrah for my father-son birthday celebration dinner just a couple weeks ago. This is sourced from the same vineyard as tonight's Chardonnay. 

Kongsgaards source the fruit for this label as well as their Syrah from several perfect acres in the Napa Carneros, of which they direct the farming under long-term contracts. They also source fruit from several sites near the winery. They write that "these intensely farmed, shy-bearing vineyards and their traditional low-intervention winemaking produce powerful, graceful wines—vivid expressions of vineyard and variety". Production is limited to what they, along with their son Alex, hand craft in their own proprietary labels. 

This release was awarded 97 points by The Wine Advocate and 95 points by Vinous / IWC (International Wine Cellar). It should be noted that the 2016 Kongsgaard "The Judge" Napa Valley Chardonnay was awarded 100 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.

Golden colored, medium full bodied, rich, focused, complex, round, decadent fruits of what Wine Advocate calls "nectarine, spiced pears and apple pie... and candied ginger", with stunning sprites of what I struggled to describe as nutty almond and nutmeg with a long smooth sumptuous finish. 

RM 95 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2719612

www.kongsgaard-wine.com

We then moved to a flight of red Bordeaux blends wines that were a perfect pairing with our next courses. This provided a nicely diverse but balanced trio to compare.

From the charcuterie we shared a 56 ounce tomahawk ribeye steak sliced for sharing by the group. 

Château Beychevelle St Julien Bordeaux 2010

We hold more than a dozen vintages of this label in our cellar dating back to the eighties. We visited Château Beychevelle and had a private tour and tasting during our visit to Beychevelle St Julien, Bordeaux in 2019. 

As usual, we were attentive to the tasting order of the wines based on our experience and knowledge of their character, profiles and the vintages. We tasted this first in our flight of three reds. In the end, we were correct in our approach in all respects. 

The Chateau Beychevelle 2010 blend consists of Cabernet Sauvignon (54%), Merlot (38%), Cabernet Franc (5%) and Petit Verdot (3%).

This release was awarded 95 points by James Suckling,  94 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Wine Enthusiast, 93 points by  Wine Spectator, and 91 points by Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar.

Suckling summed this up well, "Beautiful aromas of blackberries, currants and flowers. Very aromatic. Full body, with ultra-fine tannins and gorgeous fruit. It's polished and very refined. One of the best Beychevelles in years."  

Wine Enthusiast also captures the style and approach, "Beychevelle's style privileges elegance over weight, and such is the case with the 2010. It's a pure-fruited, ripe and lightly tannic wine, emphasizing a blackberry note."

This was the lightest, and most approachable of the three labels. Ruby colored, medium bodied, soft, nicely balanced, initially slightly astringent on opening (what Stephen Tanzer referred to as 'medicinal'), it opened up and that blew off after 1/2 hour to reveal pleasant black currant and black berry fruits, notes of floral, earthy leather, herbs and hints of plum on the smooth moderate finish. 

 

RM 91 points. 

 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1358113

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac 2011

We toured the estate and grounds of the Pichons, Chateau Pichon Baron and the adjacent Chateau Pichon Lalande (shown left), during our Bordeaux trip to the Medoc, the same trip we visited Château Beychevelle. 

This is another one of our favorite labels that we hold going back more than three decades, including our kids' birth-year vintages, several in large formats. 

Next in the tasting order, despite being from a lesser, lighter vintage, this was bigger and more complex than the Beychevelle. 

Classic Pauillac in its profile and character, dark garnet colored, full bodied, more tight and firm with its structured backbone, complex black berry fruits with notes of smoke, anise and graphite with a firm long tannin laced finish.

This was a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 12% Cabernet France, and 2% Petit Verdot.

This was awarded 95 points and a *Cellar Selection* by Wine Enthusiast,  93 points James Suckling, 92 points by Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, and 91 points by Wine Spectator.

Dark garnet purple colored, full bodied, concentrated with weight and power, rich black fruits with blackberry, dark-chocolate, cassis, spice, tobacco and hints of cedar with firm tannins on a long, intense finish. 

RM 93

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1355736

Peter Michael Les Pavots Sonoma County Knights Valley Red Wine 

Fellow Pour Boy Ernie was not with us tonight. but we toasted him with this super premium Sonoma County Bordeaux Blend that he collects as a member of their club. In retrospect, as I research and write this blog, I see Ernie served this same label to us at our OTBN wine gathering tasting in 2014. 

We hold a few bottles of this in our cellar. 

The 2005 Les Pavots is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot.

This was awarded 95 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 93 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, and 92 points by Wine Spectator.

While this was last in our tasting order it might've been best placed in the middle but it was great to compare the Bordeaux and then move to the Californian. 

This was the most elegant, polished and refined of the three wines, more complex, fuller, more round than the Beychevelle, but more approachable than the more powerful brutish Pichon. 

Parker likened this wine more to a Right Bank Merlot based blend, "a sensational wine, with a style that suggests a hypothetical blend of a great St.-Emilion and Pomerol". 

Ruby colored, medium full bodied, smooth and harmonious layers of black berry, black raspberry and currant fruits with notes of tobacco, mocha and hints of anise and graphite on a soft silky tannin laced lingering finish. 

Consistent with my earlier tasting six years ago, "Dark ruby colored, elegant and polished, full bodied with full complex concentrated layers of blackberry, black raspberry and blackcurrant with tones of black tea, cigar box and hint of dark mocha and cedar on a silky smooth finish." At that time I gave this 95 points. 

RM 94 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=505831

 http://www.petermichaelwinery.com/

 After dinner we had dessert selections, Parisian Beignets, Crispy Pâté à Choux, Cinnamon & Sugar, Salted Caramel, Spiced Ganache, Passionfruit Curd and decadent Double Dark Chocolate Cake, Coconut Dulce de Leche, Sweet Shiraz Jam, Dried Blueberries, Hazelnut Crumble.

With the delicious dessert course we took advantage of the BTG program and tasted two perfect accompaniment dessert wines. 

Dolce Napa Valley Late Harvest 2013

This Dolce Late Harvest White dessert wine is a meal course in itself! Dolce is one the most notable late harvest wines in America, first crafted in 1985 by the partners of Far Niente. Dolce stands as standard bearer. Wine Enthusiast lovingly calls it "one of the greatest sweet California wines in memory". 

Dolce’s 20-acre vineyards are located in Coombsville, east of the city of Napa, and are situated at the base of the Vaca Mountains, which define the eastern border of the valley. The volcanic soil is loose and well drained, and the west-facing vineyard is protected from the prevailing winds so that the damp, morning fog of autumn—a very important factor in the development of Botrytis cinerea—hangs longer amongst the vines, often until midday. A combination of high humidity followed by drying conditions encourages, but does not guarantee, the growth of Botrytis. As the mold develops, its coverage is seemingly random with individual berries succumbing to Botrytis at different rates, if at all. 

With a classic blend of late harvest Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc varietals in the style of a classic Bordeaux Sauterne, Dolce is the only American winery dedicated to producing a single late harvest wine. 

Dolce has produced a wine in every vintage, yet in small, unpredictable quantities; testament to the incredible difficulties presented every year in the effort to make Dolce. "Dolce is an extraordinary wine bred from a combination of sunshine, soil, fog, expertise and dedication; a wondrous luxury, limited by nature to always being a gift of absurd rarity." 

Dolce is a blend of 89% Semillon and 11% Sauvignon Blanc.

Winemaker's Notes: "The 2013 Dolce offers lifted and youthful aromas of orange zest, vanilla bean and butterscotch with subtle notes of minerality and oak-derived spices. The entry is juicy, and Dolce’s signature texture is lively and enduring on the palate leading to a mouthwatering finish. Flavors of orange, pear and dried apricot mingle together with rich caramel notes and hints of minerals that make this vintage a delicious expression of the season’s exceptional ripeness." 

After nearly three years in French oak, this luxurious vintage shows bright stone-fruit aromatics and flavors, elegant caramel undertones and has a texture like silk.

RM 94 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2547948

Fonseca Vintage Port 2016

Winemaker's Notes: "Dense purple black with a narrow purple rim. The nose opens with very fine pure black fruit, a fusion of black cherry, cassis and blackberry jam aromas, with notes of crushed mint, an ethereal fragrance of violets and undertones of ripe tropical fruit. The year has added an additional layer of purity and refinement to the subtle, complex Fonseca fruit character, as well as an attractive minerality. The palate is supported by a vibrant acidity and taut, wiry tannins that provide structure but also texture and volume. The fresh berry flavours carry into the long finish A finely crafted and perfectly balanced Vintage Port."

This was awarded 98 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and James Suckling, and an extraordinary consensus 97 points by Wine Enthusiast, Wine Spectator, Decanter and the Tasting Panel.

Parker said, " Don't even think of buying it if you aren't prepared to cellar it. The 2030 start date that I have will not be even close to late enough if you want harmony and complexity. To me, this is the best of the three 2016's from the Fladgate Group this issue (Croft and Taylor being the other two), thanks to its pure intensity, but time will tell if it becomes as sexy as I'm sure Taylor's will be. In the meanwhile, Fonseca looks like one of the greats of this vintage."

We're holding in our cellar releases of this label dating back to the eighties, most notably the 1985 vintage, birthyear of son Sean. 

Dark ruby colored, full bodied, dense, mildly sweet with notes of figs, sweet cassis, vanilla, hints of creosote and toast with tongue puckering gripping sweet tannins on the lingering finish. 

RM 93

https://www.cellartracker.com/editnote.asp?iWine=2977974

http://www.fonseca.pt/

https://www.thewineroomonline.com/delray-beach

@maitrefromager

@wineroomonline

Max McCalman's works available at DelRay Kitchen Wine and Cheese Bar:

Château LaGrange St Julien Bordeaux

Château LaGrange St Julien Bordeaux

Following the gala UGCB release tour tasting this week, I had the desire for another glass of Bordeaux for some casual sipping for the evening. I wanted to try something from a producer I had met the previous day, and one that we visited last summer during our visit to the region, so I pulled from the cellar this moderate aged 2003 vintage release from St Julien producer Château LaGrange.

We last tasted this label during a horizontal tasting of ten year old 2003 vintage release Bordeaux with our Pour Boys wine group back in 2013.

We visited the adjacent estates of Château Gruaud-Larose and  Château Branaire-Ducru
 last summer during our visit to the appellation and at that time drove over to see the Château La Grange estate and vineyards. The iconic Château that is recognized from decades of labels is more picturesque than expected or imaginable as it looks out on a small lake/pond as one approaches the estate.

The estate sits inland from the Gironde estuary, but behind and adjacent to or not far from neighboring St Julien producers Gruaud Larose and Branaire Ducru.

Château LaGrange vineyards span 118 hectares and rises to an elevation of 24 meters, the highest altitude in the appellation.

The property was taken over by the Japanese spirits producer Suntory in the mid 1980's. They made substantial improvements to the property and facilities through 2008 and modernized the entire winemaking facilities and cellars in 2013 which should no doubt result in increasing improvements and quality of the wines. Suntory also took over and made substantial investment in additions and improvements to nearby Château Beychevelle which we also toured while in the area.

However, the easiest way to think of Chateau Lagrange is by knowing all their vines are dispersed over 2, gently sloping, gravel hillsides, well placed in the west of the Saint Julien appellation, close to Chateau Gruaud Larose and Chateau Branaire Ducru. At the peak of their vineyards, the hillsides reach up to 24 meters, which puts their vines at the highest elevation in the Saint Julien appellation.
Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/bordeaux-wine-producer-profiles/bordeaux/st-julien/lagrange/

However, the easiest way to think of Chateau Lagrange is by knowing all their vines are dispersed over 2, gently sloping, gravel hillsides, well placed in the west of the Saint Julien appellation, close to Chateau Gruaud Larose and Chateau Branaire Ducru. At the peak of their vineyards, the hillsides reach up to 24 meters, which puts their vines at the highest elevation in the Saint Julien appellation.
Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/bordeaux-wine-producer-profiles/bordeaux/st-julien/lagrange/

Château LaGrange St Julien Bordeaux 2003

We still hold several vintages of this wine dating back to a birth year bottle from our daughter's vintage release in the early eighties, however the estate has turned over and undergrown substantial improvements over the years and the quality of product is vastly improved today.

When we tasted this back in 2013 I wrote, "This was bigger, more full, nicely balanced, smoother and more polished than I expected, one of the best LaGrange I have tasted. Medium to full bodied, dark inky garnet colored, aromas and flavors of black berry, black cherry, violet floral with hints of coffee bean, mocha, tobacco and earth with soft smooth lingering tannins."

This is a blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot.
 At seventeen years, this was showing no diminution from age and should last a few more years for  fine drinking. 

RM 91 points. 

This release was rated 92 points John Gilman, James Suckling, Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast, and 90 points by Wine & Spirits and Robert Parker. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=18816

https://www.ugcb.net/en/chateau-lagrange

A Visit to Château Beychevelle

A Visit to Château Beychevelle St Julien-Beychevelle Bordeaux

Visitors to the Médoc driving up the historic and legendary D2 Route du Médoc, the arterial wine road up the Left Bank of the Gironde River estuary, come upon the magnificent Château Beychevelle as they enter the St Julien Appellation, and the village of St Julien-Beychevelle. It is considered one of the most impressive châteaux in the whole of the Médoc.

Our visit and tour of the historic estate was another one of the key visits on our trip to the St Julien Appellation (AOC) in Bordeaux.  Château Beychevelle is one of ten Quatrièmes Crus (Fourth Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

Our spectacular week in St Julien also included visits to our other favorite St Julien producers, Second Growths Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou,  Léoville du Marquis de Las Cases,  Gruaud Larose and Léoville-Poyferré, as well as Fourth Growths Château Beychevelle and Château Branaire-Ducru. 

A tour of Beychevelle begins with a step back in history in a audio video enhanced gallery that goes back five centuries to the founding of the historic estate. Highlighted by graphics, music and historic photographics, it begins back in the reign of Henri III with the story Admiral Beychevelle, the fief of the Dukes of Épernon, the first of that name, Jean-Louis Nogaret de La Valette, who was the admiral in the French navy.

In the earliest years, the property was owned by the Foix Candale family who were well established in Bordeaux by 1446, as they already possessed Château d'Issan in Margaux. In 1565, Bishop François de Foix Candale commissioned the building of the grand chateau at Beychevelle.

Château Beychevelle, due to its classic, stunning architecture of the chateau and beautiful gardens, is often referred to as the Bordeaux version of Versailles.

Eventually, Beychevelle became the property of the Dukes of Epernon. The Duke was a powerful important leader of the French navy. He was so revered that ships sailing in front of Beychevelle were ordered to lower their sails as a sign of respect. Such was how Beychevelle acquired its name since the expression "Baisse-Vaille", meaning "lower the sails", translated into Beychevelle, when translated from the dialect of the time.

The name Beychevelle comes from the Old French Baisse-Voile, meaning “lowered sails”. The lowered sails of the ancient ship serves as the château’s iconic emblem and is the cornerstone of their branding to this day. The logo depicts a ship with a griffin – the guardian of Dionysos’ wine crater in Greek mythology – on the prow.

Beychevelle, or Baisse Voile, 'lower the sails', is memorialized in today's branding, the logo and label design of a galleon of the era with a large sail.

The earliest period of the estate being a working Bordeaux vineyard, it was owned by the  Bergeron family from 1720. In its earliest days it consisted of the current property as well as the adjacent properties that today make up Château Ducru Beaucaillou and Branaire Ducru.  

Map courtesy UGCB - Union des Grand Crus Bordeaux

Beychevelle was sold, bought and sold several times over the years, often due to the enormous cost to maintain the Saint Julien estate. Over time, the Beychevelle estate deteriorated from insufficient upkeep and neglect, until 1757, when the Marquis François-Etienne de Brassier renovated and rebuilt the estate. 

The property was split up in the years following the French Revolution in the early 19th Century.

In 1825, Beychevelle was bought by Pierre-François Guestier, a popular Bordeaux wine merchant who was also the mayor of St. Julien. The Guestier family joined forces with the Barton family, owners of neighboring Leoville Barton, and formed the Bordeaux wine negociant company Barton and Guestier, also known as B & G. that is still in business to this day.

In 1875, Armand Heine, cousin of the famous German poet, Heinrich Heine, purchased Château Beychevelle. He added the north wing of the chateau and replanted the vineyard following the phylloxera epidemic. Château Beychevelle remained in the hands of the same family for several generations into the 20th Century.

In 1970, Aymar Achille-Fould took over Château Beychevelle. In 1984 they formed a partnership with the GMF group. In 1988 the partnership was expanded with the addition of the Japanese giant Suntory, one of the oldest distilling companies in Japan dating back to 1899. In 2014, Suntory acquired iconic America distiller Jim Beam to become one of the largest distilling companies in the world. Since 1997, they are Japan's sole bottler, distributor, and licensee of Pepsi products and have since taken over Pepsi in other countries of southeast Asia. When they invested in Beychevelle, Suntory were already familiar with Bordeaux as owners of the neighboring estate, Château Lagrange.

In February, 2011, Chateau Beychevelle took on new owners when Suntory along with Pierre Castel, the head of the massive company Castel Freres, purchased the Saint Julien estate.

Philippe Blanc was brought as the managing director in 1995.

In addition to Château Beychevelle, the partnership also owns the well known Bordeaux negociant companies Barriere Freres and Oenoalliance, numerous branded wines, and Château Beaumont in the Haut Medoc appellation. They also hold investments in Burgundy, Africa and in China with Changyu-Castel. Today the property is owned by Grands Millésimesde France.

Despite being divided and subdivided over the years, the overall Beychevelle estate covers over 600 acres of land. Only that most suitable for growing grapes is planted in vineyards, the rest, mostly that down near the river, is grassland where Limousin cows graze, and forests of pine, poplar, ash and walnut trees.

The vast property extends down to the river where there was at one time a dock, and still today, a park. The turnoff of the D2 at the estate leads to the entrance to the production facilities, office and hospitality center, and continues down to the riverfront at what is called the Port de Beychevelle.

Below the vineyards are farmland and pastures -
Château Beyechevelle in distant background.

The Beychevelle estate's 210 acres of vineyards are located at the far south edge of the St-Julien appellation, just outside the village of St-Julien-Beychevelle. The vineyards are planted in the appellation sanctioned varietals of  Cabernet Sauvignon, (52%), Merlot, (40%), Cabernet Franc (5%), and Petit Verdot (3%).

The proximity of the Gironde, which can be seen from the front steps of the Château, has a protective, regulating affect on the climate that is vital for the production of exceptional wines.

On average, the vines are close to 30 years of age.

The heart of the vineyard is located on two plateaus. The best vines are said to be the 50 acres planted next to the chateau on the Beychevelle plateau, next to Château Ducru Beaucaillou, and extending down towards the river, and those down near Château Leoville Barton.

Vineyards on the plateau Beychevelle on the left,
Ducru Beaucaillou on the right

The vineyards near the river are comprised of the notable St Julien deep Garonne gravelly soil, deposited over the millennia from the Gunzian period, on the edge of the Gironde. These are the famous gravelly hilltops of the Médoc, close to the Gironde, which offer the best conditions for the classic Bordeaux varietals. They benefit from the moderating effects the river has on the vines, helping to protect them from excessive heat and from the occasional frost.

Like so many of the producer's vineyards in the Medoc, several of Château Beychevelle's vineyards are dispersed across the Saint Julien appellation.

Beyechevelle also have vineyards in the southern tip of the St. Julien appellation located further inland, not far from Château Gruaud Larose.

The estate also owns 55 acres of vines located in the neighboring Haut Medoc appellation that are considered part of the Saint Julien appellation. The vineyard is situated in the commune of Cussac, not far from Château Beaumont. There it is much cooler terrior than in the St. Julien appellation.

Due to the fact that those vines were part of Château Beychevelle at the time of the original classification, even though they are located in the neighboring appellation of Haut Medoc, the estate has the right to include those vines in either their Grand Vin, the second wine, or use them to produce a Haut Medoc wine. Another additional 35 acres of vines in the Haut Medoc are not allowed for use in St. Julien designated wines.

In all there are 14 different blocks of vines, that can be divided into up to 60 different parcels of vines.

In recent years, Château Beychevelle have worked to dramatically improve the quality of the wine through a massive reduction in the effective yields at the property. Earlier vintages such as 1982 were produced with almost no selection. Then, as much as 95% of the harvest went into the Grand Vin.

Today, much greater selection takes place to use only the finest lots in the grand vin, and the rest in a second or lesser label. Now, the average amount of the harvest going into the flagship Beychevelle is closer to 50%.

Starting in 2008, Château Beychevelle began moving closer to organic farming techniques. The estate has been certified for sustainable viticulture.

Beyechevelle took on a new winemaker to assist Philippe Blanc, Romain Ducolomb, who previously worked at Château Clinet in Pomerol. The first vintage for Ducolomb was the 2012, which showed soft tannins and more ripeness.

In 2016, the new partnership made a substantial investment of more than 15 million Euros in the St Julien estate. They completely renovated the wine making facilities remodeling the cellars, vat rooms, tanks and building the hospitality visitor center.

The hallmark of the new Beychevelle was the addition of a large modern high tech production facility with new tanks and a barrel storage facility below. Designed by the noted architect Arnaud Boulain and Atelier BPM, the modernistic building is comprised of glass walls that opens the large tank room to the outside, and bring striking views of the surrounding vineyards inside.

Undulating steel metal bands resembling sails decorate the outside of the building and protect the glass building from the direct sunlight. The sails architectural design elements are also introduced in the modern barrel facility in the waving ceiling, pictured below.

The modern high tech building sits prominently at the front of the property adjacent the historic chateau along the D2 Route de Medoc.

The wine of Château Beychevelle is vinified in 59, gleaming new, stainless steel vats that range in size from 73 hectoliters to 105, 120 and up to 160 hectoliters. This provides for a vat for each plot of the estate to optimize the vinification to each lot. Malolactic fermentation takes place in tank.

Like many of the Château in Bordeaux, and many leading wineries in Napa as well, Beychevelle has introduced artwork throughout their facilities to enhance the atmosphere and the tour experience.

The historic original cellars were renovated and are adorned with artwork. Below the historic barrel storage facilities, Beychevelle maintains a historic library of vintage releases. The collection dates back to the mid 19th century.

Historic barrel facility

Historic library

Depending on the vintage, a portion of the malolactic can take place in barrel. The wine of Château Beychevelle is aged in an average of 50-60% new, French oak barrels for about 18 months before bottling.

Modern barrel facility with sailing architecture effects

Château Beychevelle St Julien grand vin, in good vintages can be powerful and concentrated, yet supple and smooth with complex and finely integrated notes of almost sweet, ultra-ripe Cabernet fruit, accented by notes of cassis, spice, tobacco, cedar and mocha.

Beychevelle's hospitality center features a modern tasting room overlooking the magnificent historic Château and it's beautiful gardens that look out to the vineyards and the pastures and river in the distance.

 

We were served a vertical tasting flight of Château Beychevelle 2012, 2016 and, a special treat, a barrel sample of the upcoming 2018 vintage.

Young vintages are best to be decanted for a couple hours before consuming to allow the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Château Beychevelle is best consumed after 6-12 years of age, and, depending on the vintage can often maintain its prime drinking window for several decades or more. We still hold the last remaining bottles of a case of 1988 that we acquired upon release. Upon return from our trip we enjoyed one of those bottles and it is drinking as good or even better than in its first decade. 

The chateau makes a second label wine called Amiral de Beychevelle. This is produced from the lots that are not deemed suitable for the flagship label. This provides a wine that is approachable at an earlier age at a more affordable price.

We were also served a tasting of the second label, Amiral de Beychevelle from the 2012 vintage.

The second wine, Amiral de Beychevelle, was first released back in the 1950’s. In those days, as little as 4% of the production went into the second wine. In 1996, then general manager Philippe Blanc directed to vastly increase production of and increase the percentage of the harvest allocated to the second wine.

Amiral de Beychevelle is made from the younger vines, but still benefits from the same growing techniques, meticulous sorting, and traditional barrel ageing. It can have the same elegance and finesse as its older brother, but reveals its character earlier in its youth. It can be kept for up to fifteen years, depending on the vintage.

Beychevelle also produce a third label, Les Brulieres de Beychevelle, comprised of the fruit from the vines in the Haut Medoc appellation. Chateau Beychevelle also produces a negociant wine in partnership with their negociant owner, Barriere called Secret de Grand Bateaux. This is sold as a mass market supermarket brand. Secret de Grand Bateaux also displays the estate’s famed Dragon boat logo in their label design for brand continuity. The wine is available as a red wine and white Bordeaux wine.

There is high demand of Beychevelle wines, especially in Asia where it is known as 'the Dragon Boat wine'. Due to significant counterfeiting that takes place in China, Chateau Beychevelle has recently added anti counterfeiting measures to their bottles. The technique adds a unique code to each bottle that is stored in a database that allows purchasers and sellers to check for the authenticity of each bottle along with the name of the original, authorized distributor.

Today, Château Beychevelle produces on average about 25,000 cases per year.

As with all producers in the Medoc, as I often say, as 'all boats rise with the tide', the best vintages of Château Beychevelle are those best vintages in the appellation. Top vintages have been 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2005, 2000, 1989, 1982 and 1961. Notably, several older vintages of Château Beychevelle, dating back to 1906 have been exceptional wines.

Shortly after our return home, we enjoyed a thirty year of vintage release of Château Beychevelle 1988 and it was drinking remarkably well. 

www.beychevelle.com

https://beychevelle.com/?lang=en