2018 Château Beychevelle 2018 1500mL

98 POINTS

Bettane & Desseauve - My Bettane + Desseauve

Sublime finesse et chair infiniment délicate dans un corps très généreux, la quadrature du cercle, le plus artiste et le plus complet des beychevelle de l’histoire.

97 POINTS

Jeff Leve - The Wine Cellar Insider

Packed and stacked with black fruit, flowers, thyme, earth, espresso, tobacco, herbs, freshness and density, this is a knockout! The wine is opaque in color with palate staining intensity. The fruit shows a beautiful combination of elegance, concentration, purity and staying power with a finish that does not quit. Made from blending 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc and reaching 14.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.71, the harvest took place September 21 to October 16. 50% of the harvest was placed into the Grand Vin.

96 POINTS

Jeb Dunnuck

Showing beautifully both times I was able to taste it, the 2018 Château Beychevelle checks in as a blend of 50% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc that's aging in 60% new French oak. This ultra-pure, refined, gorgeously layered Beychevelle offers terrific notes of black cherries, blackberries, cassis, violets, and damp earth. Deep, concentrated, and layered on the palate, it has a thrilling sense of purity and elegance as well as building structure. This is the third vintage vinified in the new cellar, and the 2018 represents a selection of 50% of the total production. It hit 14.5% alcohol with a healthy pH of 3.74 and a massive IPT of 81. Hats off to director Romain Ducolomb for another brilliant wine that I suspect will surpass both the 2015 and 2016! 95-97+

95 POINTS

Roger Voss - Wine Enthusiast

This is a smooth textured, ripe wine that is packed with a black fruit flavor and bold tannins. With its well-integrated structure and density of fruit flavors, it is surely meant for the cellar.

95 POINTS

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW - Wine Advocate

The deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Beychevelle wafts sensuously from the glass with fragrant Black Forest cake, potpourri, star anise and black tea scents over a core of black raspberries, warm blackcurrants and kirsch with touches of fallen leaves and lavender. Full-bodied and packed with fragrant red and black fruit layers, it has a firm, velvety texture and fantastic freshness lifting the very long, perfumed finish. Beautiful! Anticipated time in barrel is 18 months, 60% new and 40% second fill. The tentative blend is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc.

95 POINTS

James Molesworth - Wine Spectator

Ripe and concentrated, but very sleek, with a remarkably pure beam of cassis and plum reduction flavors. Sweet spice, violet and apple wood notes are thoroughly embedded throughout. Polished and very long.

94 POINTS

Jane Anson - Decanter

This is a dark, deep colour that perfectly reflects the rich blackberry and bilberry fruits on the nose. I really have noticed that Beychevelle has raised its game over the last few vintages and it's maintaining that step-up here. The 2018 is built to age, and will do so with very little trouble. It has violet edging, a good ripe tannic structure and is full of life. It's rounded in terms of mouthfeel, smoothed out but not knocked off balance by the alcohol. It may be approachable earlier than usual perhaps, but with class, ambition and St-Julien signature. A yield of 55hl/ha, with 50% of production going into the grand vin. 60% new oak. Drinking Window 2027 - 2040

94 POINTS

Antonio Galloni MW - Vinous

The 2018 Beychevelle is an exceptional, utterly vivid wine. Deep and beautifully layered in the glass, the 2018 has so much to offer. Super-ripe black cherry, crème de cassis, licorice, new oak and chocolate infuse this unctuous, spectacularly ripe Saint-Julien. Beychevelle is exotic, flamboyant and full-throttle, not to mention absolutely stunning. The high presence of Merlot in the blend gives Beychevelle much of its sensuality. What a wine! The 2018 is 50% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc. Tasted three times.