Château Beychevelle 2003
The 2003 Château Beychevelle is a red wine from the Saint-Julien appellation, classified as a Quatrième Grand Cru Classé in 1855, produced in Bordeaux by Château Beychevelle. Its blend comprises 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot. The Wine Advocate awarded it 92/100, describing it as a full-bodied and juicy wine with ripe black fruits, hints of fig, spices, and cedar; its indicated drinking window spans from 2014 to 2022. James Suckling rated it 90/100.
La bouteille proposée
- Size
- Bottle (75cl)
- Packaging
- Loose
- Label Condition
- Perfect
- Fill Level
- Perfect
- Capsule Condition
- Perfect
Identité du vin
- Couleur
- Red
- Pays
- France
- Région
- Bordeaux
- Appellation
- Saint Julien
- Producteur / Domaine
- Château Beychevelle
- Millésime
- 2003
Cépage et assemblage
- Grape Variety
- 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot
Château Beychevelle
Château Beychevelle is a wine estate in the Saint-Julien appellation, on the left bank of the Gironde, in the Médoc. Its vineyard covers 90 hectares of deep Garonne gravel, within a 250-hectare estate. Classified as a Fourth Grand Cru in 1855, it is managed by Grands Millésimes de France, jointly owned by the Castel and Suntory groups.
- Owner
- Grands Millésimes de France (détenue à parité par les groupes Castel et Suntory)
- Maître de chais
- Julien Ribas
- Surface (ha)
- 92.50 ha
- Production (average bottles per vintage)
- 240 000 à 260 000 bouteilles/an
Histoire du domaine
The château was built in 1565 by François de Foix-Candale, Bishop of Aire. It subsequently passed into the hands of the Dukes of Épernon, with whom the legendary origin of its name is associated; the name derives from the Gascon phrase ‘Bécha Véla’, meaning ‘lower the sail’. Following the harsh winter of 1709, Jean-Baptiste d’Abadie inherited Beychevelle and began replanting the vineyard. Étienne-François de Brassier subsequently expanded the estate’s commercial operations by having a private harbour built on the estuary. His descendant, Delphine-Catherine de Brassier, preserved the unity of the estate during the French Revolution. In 1825, the wine merchant Pierre-François Guestier acquired the château, restructured the vineyard and modernised the facilities. Beychevelle was classified as a fourth grand cru in the 1855 classification. Armand Heine and Marie-Amélie Kohn had the north wing of the château built in 1875, before Marie-Louise Heine and Charles Achille-Fould ensured the estate’s continuity from 1890 onwards. The second wine, Amiral de Beychevelle, was created in 1974 under the impetus of Aymar Achille-Fould. Acquired by Grands Millésimes de France in the late 1980s, the estate has been jointly owned by Castel and Suntory since 2011; a new winery designed by Arnaud Boulain came into use in 2016. Julien Ribas has been appointed by the château as cellar master for the 2025 vintage.
