My Merlot Thursday for this week. Join us with your own Merlot. Let’s bring Merlot back!
My Merlot Thursday for this week. Join us with your own Merlot. Let’s bring Merlot back!
by odedi1
8 Comments
odedi1
Chateau Beychevelle Saint Julien Grand Cru Classé 2018
Nice color of dark ruby with a reddish rim.
Fruity nose of black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, licorice, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, spices, earth and black tea.
Medium plus in body with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with black currants, black plums, blackberries, coffee, herbs, chocolates, light oak, licorice, spices, light earth, tobacco leaf and black pepper.
Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.
This is a delicious Merlot based blend from Saint Julien. Elegant and spicy. Fruit forward and chocolatey.
I’ve had a few vintages of this wine and it is very consistent and always delicious, especially with age.
This 7 year old 4th growth Bordeaux is starting to drink beautifully now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.
Well balanced, complex and interesting. Rich and inviting.
Good by itself as a sipping wine or with food.
A blend of 50% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc. Aged in (60% new) French Oak barrels for 18 months.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$150.
GrilledCheeseTn
Wow, right up my alley! I just opened up a Rhone, next time for sure!
LongroddMcHugendong
Sounds great. I guess I’ll need to add some Merlot to the collection. I’m not a cab guy, and I’ve always probably unfairly lumped Merlot in with it and never really tried the good stuff.
joobtastic
Their name is really fun. They were owned by a naval commander some 500 years ago, and when ships sailed past his estate, they would lower their sales to salute to him. The act of lowering sails is “baisser voile” in French. Eventually, over time, through dialectic changes, it was mutated into “Beychevelle” which became the name of the estate.
This history is also turned into their little cute ship mascot.
Memorex3669
Started drinking this wine with the early 70s vintages, has never disappointed me.
ylkim30
I think you (or Millesima) got the merlot and the cab sauvignon reversed. Left Bank Bordeaux like Chateau Beychevelle almost always have Cab Sauvignon as the largest component of the cepage.
Here’s a note from Jeb Dunnuck about the 2018:
The flagship 2018 Château Beychevelle is a more serious, concentrated, focused wine that still has that classic Saint-Julien purity of fruit as well as a wealth of fruit. Gorgeous notes of crème de cassis, chocolate-covered blueberries, violets, spring flowers, tobacco leaf, and cedar notes all emerge from the glass, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with sweet tannins, moderate acidity, and a great, great finish. A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, it’s one of the sexiest, most up-front and irresistible wines in the vintage. Don’t let that scare you, though; it’s going to drink beautifully for 2-3 decades.
Madeitup75
Every bottle of Ch Bey’ I’ve gotten to drink has been excellent. Wonderful stuff.
8 Comments
Chateau Beychevelle Saint Julien Grand Cru Classé 2018
Nice color of dark ruby with a reddish rim.
Fruity nose of black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, licorice, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, spices, earth and black tea.
Medium plus in body with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with black currants, black plums, blackberries, coffee, herbs, chocolates, light oak, licorice, spices, light earth, tobacco leaf and black pepper.
Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.
This is a delicious Merlot based blend from Saint Julien. Elegant and spicy. Fruit forward and chocolatey.
I’ve had a few vintages of this wine and it is very consistent and always delicious, especially with age.
This 7 year old 4th growth Bordeaux is starting to drink beautifully now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.
Well balanced, complex and interesting. Rich and inviting.
Good by itself as a sipping wine or with food.
A blend of 50% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc. Aged in (60% new) French Oak barrels for 18 months.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$150.
Wow, right up my alley! I just opened up a Rhone, next time for sure!
Sounds great. I guess I’ll need to add some Merlot to the collection. I’m not a cab guy, and I’ve always probably unfairly lumped Merlot in with it and never really tried the good stuff.
Their name is really fun. They were owned by a naval commander some 500 years ago, and when ships sailed past his estate, they would lower their sales to salute to him. The act of lowering sails is “baisser voile” in French. Eventually, over time, through dialectic changes, it was mutated into “Beychevelle” which became the name of the estate.
This history is also turned into their little cute ship mascot.
Started drinking this wine with the early 70s vintages, has never disappointed me.
I think you (or Millesima) got the merlot and the cab sauvignon reversed. Left Bank Bordeaux like Chateau Beychevelle almost always have Cab Sauvignon as the largest component of the cepage.
Here’s a note from Jeb Dunnuck about the 2018:
The flagship 2018 Château Beychevelle is a more serious, concentrated, focused wine that still has that classic Saint-Julien purity of fruit as well as a wealth of fruit. Gorgeous notes of crème de cassis, chocolate-covered blueberries, violets, spring flowers, tobacco leaf, and cedar notes all emerge from the glass, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with sweet tannins, moderate acidity, and a great, great finish. A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, it’s one of the sexiest, most up-front and irresistible wines in the vintage. Don’t let that scare you, though; it’s going to drink beautifully for 2-3 decades.
Every bottle of Ch Bey’ I’ve gotten to drink has been excellent. Wonderful stuff.
Merlot is a great choice any night.