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Located at the entrance to the Saint-Julien appellation, the architecture of Château Beychevelle has earned it the nickname of the "Versailles of the Médoc". It was the stronghold of the Ducs d'Epernon, and notably of the first of them, Jean-Louis Nogaret de La Valette, Grand Admiral of France.
The strategic position of Château on the banks of the Gironde enabled them, according to legend, to force ships sailing up the river to pay a octroi, a kind of toll. Ships had to lower their sails as a sign of allegiance. Beychevelle thus takes its name and emblem, a ship with a griffin bow, from the old Gascon name Bêcha Vêla, meaning "Lower Sail".
Built in the 17th century, rebuilt by the Marquis de Brassier in 1757, the Château was restored to its original splendor at the end of the 20th century. In the meantime, it has been awarded the title of Fourth Grand Cru Classé in the prestigious 1855 classification published for the Paris Universal Exhibition. Today, the property belongs to Grands Millésimes de France.
The Château Beychevelle vineyard is planted on deep Garonne gravel soils, covering 92 hectares of vines planted with 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet franc. The wines are aged for 18 months in oak barrels, 60% of which are new.
The estate produces a Second wine, Amiral de Beychevelle, and a third... See more ...
An atypical vintage
Temperatures in 2003 were higher than the average for the last 30 years, with scorching heat in the first fortnight of August reaching 38/40°C. Rainfall was low overall, but well distributed throughout the season, enabling the vines to avoid suffering too much from the drought and heat.
The first bunches of Merlot grapes appeared on April 1, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon a few days later. Flowering of the Merlot began on May 12, that of the Cabernet Sauvignon around May 20, some eight days ahead of the previous vintage. Flowering took place under good conditions.
However, a very heavy storm on July 15 damaged a large part of the vineyard, with damage ranging from 6% to 12%.
Milder temperatures in the second half of September enabled a very profitable end to ripening, especially for Cabernet Sauvignon.
The harvest took place under excellent weather and sanitary conditions. Once again this year, the grapes are rich in sugar and have very high degrees of alcohol: 13% vol. for Merlot and Petit Verdot, 12.8% vol. for Cabernet Sauvignon.
Château Beychevelle 2003 is very fruity (dark berries, cherries), fleshy, very well-balanced with good length on the palate. The tannins are present and ripe.
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