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2018 Château Beychevelle

Removed from a temperature and humidity controlled wine storage unit; Purchased at retail

Ends Sunday, 7pm Pacific

RATINGS

96Jeb Dunnuck

...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.

95The Wine Advocate

...classic notes of cassis, plum preserves and ripe blackberries, with emerging suggestions of unsmoked cigars, tilled soil and cedar chest, plus a waft of pencil lead...medium to full-bodied palate...finely packed black fruit and earthy layers within a frame of firm, grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and mineral laced.

95Wine Spectator

Violet and warm cassis aromas and flavors lead the way, melding with applewood, ganache, açaí and blueberry reduction notes along the way. Almost lush in the end, but there's a buried tarry streak giving it just a bit of grippy texture for contrast. Serious juice.

95Wine Enthusiast

...smooth textured, ripe wine that is packed with a black fruit flavor and bold tannins...well-integrated structure and density of fruit flavors...

94James Suckling

Currants and blackberries with crushed stone and fresh herbs...flower stem...full-bodied...firm, driven tannins.

92Vinous / IWC

...fresh, fragrant nose with plenty of blackberry, gravel, mint and incense aromas...very well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with a crisp entry and plenty of sappy black fruit...

16.5Jancis Robinson

Pure, attractive cassis on the nose. The palate is smooth with remarkably resolved tannins...hints of nutmeg...seductive and soft wine...

REGION

France, Bordeaux, St.-Julien

Saint-Julien is the smallest of the four main Médoc appellations with 2,175 acres of vineyards. It is just south of Pauillac on the left bank of the Gironde, and although it has no First Growth châteaux, its 11 Classified Growth estates are widely admired. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that winemaking in Saint-Julien from all classifications “is consistently both distinctive and brilliant.” He adds it is Médoc’s “most underrated commune.” The best-known estates are Léoville Las Cases, Ducru-Beaucaillou, Léoville Poyferré, Léoville Barton and Gruaud Larose, and most of those have riverside estates. The soil in this appellation is gravelly with clay. Cabernet Sauvignon is the main grape grown, and it is blended with Cabernet Franc, Merlot and sometimes small amounts of Petit Verdot.