2023 Beychevelle
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Tasting notes
The team at Beychevelle found the Merlot suffered a little in the heat, and the blend therefore has the highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon to date for the estate. To preserve quality in the Grand Vin, it represents only 50% of production (versus a normal 65%). The nose is dominated by the oak (70% new), with toasty, sweet notes alongside darker cassis fruit. On the palate, there is a real contrast with crunchy red berries. It’s a leaner style, with drying tannins that frame the tart fruit. It has 13.3% alcohol and 3.67pH. Blend: 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
A brilliant wine that makes the most of the vintage, the 2023 Château Beychevelle sports sensational aromatics of cassis and lively berries intermixed with sappy tobacco, spring flowers, graphite, and a wonderful sense of minerality. It's medium to full-bodied and silky on the palate, with ripe, polished tannins, perfectly integrated acidity, and a gorgeous finish. The balance, purity, and just overall harmony here are top-notch, and while I like it even today, it will cruise for 25 years in a cold cellar. This is a legit fabulous 2023 that deserves a place in the cellar. Drink 2026-2051.
The 2023 Beychevelle is a dark, brooding wine. Blackberry, gravel, dried herbs, chocolate, menthol and incense stain the palate. Time in the glass brings out the wine's freshness and energy, along with a surprising amount of tension. In many recent vintages, Beychevelle has been quite racy and opulent. The 2023, on the other hand, displays elements of youthful classicism that will require a few years to mellow. I expect it will age gracefully for decades.
The 2023 Beychevelle was bottled in June 2025. "It underwent a strict selection, so this Grand Vin represents 53% of the total crop," winemaker Philippe Blanc told me. Allowing this five minutes to open in the glass, it has a refined bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit, cedar and a sprig of wild mint. Clean and precise, it gains intensity yet always conveys a sense of control. The palate is medium-bodied with svelte tannins. Again, much like the Amiral de Beychevelle, it has a precise and refreshing mineralité -driven finish that lingers in the mouth. This is a delicious Beychevelle that will just need three to four years in bottle.
About the producer
With greater care in the vineyard and more precision in the winery, Ch. Beychevelle's star is rising. That's in large part due to the leadership of Philippe Blanc and investment by current owners, Japanese brewers Suntory and French wine group Castel.