Located at the entrance to the Saint-Julien appellation, Château Beychevelle, by its architecture having earned it the nickname "Versailles of the Médoc", leaves no one indifferent. It was the stronghold of the Dukes of 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 river allowed them, according to the legend, to force the boats going up the river to pay a octroi, a kind of toll. The ships had to lower their sails as a sign of allegiance. Beychevelle thus derives its name and emblem, a ship with a griffin bow, from the old Gascon name Bêcha Vêla, which means "Lower Sail".
Built in the seventeenth century, rebuilt by the Marquis of Brassier in 1757, the Château was restored to its original splendor at the end of the twentieth century. In the meantime, it will have obtained the title of Fourth Grand Cru Classé in the prestigious 1855 classification, published for the Paris World Fair. The property now belongs to the Grands Millésimes de France.
The Château Beychevelle vineyard is planted on deep Garonne gravel soils, covering an area of 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 property produces a Second wine, Amiral de Beychevelle, and a third wine classified as Haut-Médoc, Les Brulières de Beychevelle.
The wines of Château Beychevelle are harmonious and racy, concentrated and fine, matching the beauty of its surroundings.
