Chateau Beychevelle 2008 (1x75cl)

Darker in colour than most in this vertical tasting, Château Beychevelle reached its best maturity levels for Cabernet Sauvignon in 2010. This is a really beautiful wine, very much reflective of St-Julien’s qualities with its balance and brushed tannins. It's not ready yet and is still pretty closed, the succulent tannins closing in for the final moments, but they have flexibility in their structure and this is going to run and run. Rich and concentrated, it's a gorgeous Beychevelle. 5% Cabernet Franc makes up the blend.

Beychevelle's style privileges elegance over weight, and such is the case with the 2010. It's a pure-fruited, ripe and lightly tannic wine, emphasizing a blackberry note. This will evolve relatively quickly, reaching a peak in approximately eight years.

Showing better from bottle than it did from barrel, where it was also impressive, but not quite at this level, the 2010 Beychevelle displays sweet black currant, black cherry, foresty notes, medium to full-bodied texture with impressive purity and moderately high tannins (although they've softened considerably during the wine's upbringing in barrel). Layered and rich for a Beychevelle, this wine should easily withstand three decades of cellaring. I would give it another 3-4 years of bottle age, but this is a fabulous effort from the first chateau one sees upon entering the appellation of St.-Julien.

Features a gutsy feel, displaying dark, roasted cedar and tobacco notes framing a core of steeped fig, blackberry paste and plum skin that rumbles through the tarry finish. Shows strong grip on the back end, with the briary edge extending nicely. Best from 2016 through 2035.