| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > St Julien |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
The Grand Vin, the 2005 Beychevelle is a gorgeous wine, with plenty of crème de cassis, floral notes, underbrush and forest floor. It is sweet and medium to full-bodied, with ripe tannin and beautiful texture and purity. Drink it over the next 20 years. Drink 2015-2035.
The Château Beychevelle 2005 has a comparatively rich and opulent bouquet, which is quite unexpected, offering with sensual, ripe black cherry and boysenberry fruit, fresh mint and licorice. It has retained that pastille-like purity. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, good acidity, dense black fruit laced with white pepper, building gently but never quite achieving the sophistication of some of the other Saint Julien 2005s. To be honest, I was expecting a little more from this and prefer the 2009 and 2010 from winemaker Philippe Blanc. Drink 2019 - 2045
Tasted blind. Fragrant with some mellow fruit. Some slightly brutal, meaty savour but no shortage of impact! Thick and ambitious.
Drink 2016-2038
Good deep red-ruby. Subtle oak accents very ripe aromas of plum, currant, mocha, chocolate and tobacco leaf. Sweet, ripe and broad, with good density and freshness to the currant and spice flavors. Not a blockbuster but sweeter than the 2006 and longer on the aftertaste, finishing with fairly substantial but ripe tannins.
Elegant berry fruit. Good straightforward Médoc fruit, with St-Julien elegance, but could be a little riper and more complex. Drink from 2013. Awarded 3 stars.
Came 32nd out 184 wines
While this is a strong effort from a property that too often does not live up to its pedigree, I had hoped the 2005 Beychevelle would merit an even higher score. A deep ruby/purple hue is accompanied by a sweet perfume of roasted herbs, black cherries, and even blacker fruits. The wine is medium to full-bodied with sweet tannin, good acidity, and a fruitcake-like spiciness and earthiness. Pure and long with a tannic clout that is neither intrusive nor excessive, this elegant, powerful effort should be at its finest between 2017-2030
The quintessentially elegant yet powerful 2005 may be the finest Beychevelle made since 1982. Its opaque ruby/purple color and sweet nose of camphor, blueberries, black currants, flowers, and crushed rocks precede a lovely, sweet, rich wine with zesty acidity delineating its medium to full-bodied personality, laser-like precision, and impressive purity and length. While this estate often does not live up to its pedigree, the 2005 is the real deal. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2025+.
The most profound Beychevelle since the 1982, the elegant yet powerful 2005 exhibits an opaque purple color as well as a sweet nose of plums, black currants, flowers, and minerals. Medium to full body, refreshing acidity, good definition, and strong flavors characterize this top-flight effort. It should easily last for 25-30 years.
Aromas of blackberries, licorice and spice follow through to a medium-bodied palate, with fine tannins and a medium finish.
Dark crimson. Meaty, savoury nose. Light to mid weight. Irreproachable in terms of balance but it's difficult to imagine anyone falling madly in love with this. Very dry finish. Sinewy. 13%
Drink 2018-2035
Very deep crimson. Mild minerals on the nose with the merest hint of leafiness. Sweet, malty start and quite a bit of acidity mingled with the tannic finish. Workmanlike. Drink 2015-2025. Date tasted 18th Feb 09.
Mid crimson. Sappy, savoury, lively if very slightly simple nose. Very winning for the medium if not the long term. No enormous ambition but some fine tannins. Certainly respectable. Drink 2014-24
