Beychevelle 2021 (750ML)

94 AG / 94 DE / 94 WCI / 93+ JD / 93 JA / 92+ WA / 92 VM / 92 WI / 92 FS / 16.5 JR

The 2021 Beychevelle is elegant, understated and classy. Medium in body and less overt than most recent years, the 2021 is impeccably balanced from start to finish. Dark-toned fruit, gravel, menthol, licorice, spice and new oak build nicely with a bit of time in the glass. This is incredibly harmonious. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

Darkly herbal, spiced and perfumed nose. Supple, fruity, forward and lively, this has an initial vivacious and pulsing energy that settles giving some green pepper, eucalyptus and cedar notes as well as liquorice and clove which then dominate the finish. It starts well, with such pace, and you feel the fruit has been well worked with tannins that are silky and fine. This has density and chew which I love as well as structure and backbone wine overall finesse. Great potential here. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter

Flowers, tobacco, spice, currants and black raspberries define the aromatic profile. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, almost light on its feet with sweet black currants, peppery cherries, chewy blackberries, dark chocolate and a touch of refreshing spearmint that adds to the vibrant character. The wine blends 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2025-2050.-Jeff Leve, Wine Cellar Insider

Clearly a star in the vintage, the 2021 Château Beychevelle is showing even better from bottle than barrels, revealing a dense purple hue as well as gorgeous notes of crème de cassis, spicy oak, smoked tobacco, and iron. Based on 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, aged in 70% new oak, it's medium to full-bodied, has a concentrated, layered mouthfeel, beautiful overall balance, and a great finish. It needs 4-5 years to integrate its oak but will easily evolve for two decades. It's a pure, layered, incredibly impressive 2021 that has tons to love, and I'd certainly be thrilled to have bottles in the cellar. - Jeb Dunnuck

The firm frame is a little austere, but there is finesse here, gentle campfire smoke. Blueberry and raspberry, edges of creamy fruit as it heads towards the mid palate, impressive within the vintage, clear smoke, clove and white pepper spice, crayon and slate. Has settled in well over ageing, Nuanced, with plenty of potential for enjoyable medium term drinking. Tasted twice. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

The 2021 Beychevelle opens in the glass with notes of sweet berry compote, plums and creamy new oak, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy palate with an unusually sweet core of fruit for the vintage, framed by plenty of chewy tannin, and concluding with a vanillin-inflected finish. - William Kelley, Wine Advocate

The 2021 Beychevelle, incidentally the final vintage to contain Cabernet Franc according to Philippe Blanc, is still a little tight on the nose after bottling in June, but, it has a wonderful sense of purity and delineation. The Cabernet Sauvignon is very expressive here, so much so that you might think there was around 75% in the blend, rather than 57%. There's a hint of crushed violet in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, and harmonious with fine sapidity. This is more austere than recent vintages, as you might expect, and perhaps not as long in the mouth, but I appreciate the Pauillac-like graphite note that surfaces with aeration. There is a convincing sense of classicism in this Beychevelle, and it should age with style. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

A blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Beychevelle has a deep garnet-purple color. It needs plenty of swirling to coax out notes of ripe blackcurrants, Bing cherries, and juicy strawberries, giving way to nuances of forest floor, mossy tree bark, and tapenade. The light-bodied palate has delicately played red and black fruits that match its ethereal weight, supported by silky tannins and great tension, finishing long and fragrant. Pretty! - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent