Beychevelle 1995

Château Beychevelle is a wine estate in the Saint-Julien appellation of the Médoc. The Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant wine is known for its supple power and smooth, rich texture, and better vintages have great aging ability. In the Bordeaux Classification of 1855 it was ranked a fourth growth.

The 250-hectare (620-acre) estate is situated in the extreme southeast of the appellation, just to the south of Branaire-Ducru. The Beychevelle vineyard covers 90ha (222 acres) of deep Garonne gravel, with 62 percent planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, which is dominant in the wine itself. The remaining vineyard has 31 percent Merlot, 5 percent Cabernet Franc and 2 percent Petit Verdot.

The grand vin is aged for 18 months in oak barrels, half of which are new. A second wine, Amiral de Beychevelle, is made from lots not earmarked for the grand vin. A few plots in the vineyard lie outside the Saint-Julien border and so are made under the Haut-Médoc classification as Les Brulières de Beychevelle.

The name Beychevelle comes from the first Duke of Epernon, a navy admiral who owned the estate in the 16th Century. Boats that passed on the Garonne had to lower their sails in deference; the name “Baisse-Voile” (lowering of sails) became Beychevelle. This nautical theme extends to the ship with a griffin prow featured on the label.