Levi Dalton
Levi Dalton
Originally in my wine drinking arc I was no fan of Beychevelle, with its noticeably old style tannic structure and signature pickle juice note. As my own palate has evolved, I find that I enjoy Beychevelle more and more, and am more drawn to Beychevelle than to some more contemporary expressions of St-Julien. I also am keen on the pricing of Beychevelle- it seems undervalued in a market that has for years rewarded Bordeaux wines with more polish. I was happy recently to attend a Beychevelle vertical organized by David Hamburger for the Wine Workshop.
We went youngest to oldest, and the wines were double decanted starting at 2 hours before the start of service. There were some light snacks served. A * means I particularly enjoyed the wine.
2007 Beychevelle:
Smells good. Green accents, tobacco and menthol on the nose. A bit of browned fruit on the palate. A bit muddied, texutrally. Not showing the distinct notes on the palate that I would like to find. Some tufa like quality. And truffle comes out on the finish, lending some personality to the profile. Overall, not a fan of this right now.
* 2000 Beychevelle:
Smells good. There is a life to the nose, which shows menthol, tobacco, and leather in a sophisticated way. A bit dusty on the nose. Some ripeness on the palate- this shows ripe cranberries, in addition to the signature pickles. A bit murky- perhaps this was a hasty decant.
1998 Beychevelle:
The nose is closed today. The fruit is more approachable than I would expect. This is almost juicy. Also a dark tone to the fruit. The fruit core is dense. There is the signature note of pickles, also some dusty character and allusions of old lace.
1996 Beychevelle:
Decent integration, although a bit of alcohol fumes show at the finish. This seems to speak of St-Julien origins, but I am not senseing so much of Beychevelle here. Specifically, I am not finding some of the green hints I associate with Beychevelle. This has a darker, more black licorice character. There is some cigarette ash that is evident, but overall I would have liked more of the fine detailed notes. Harmonious, but not inspiring.
1995 Beychevelle:
Smells good. A brown note in here, and tobacco on the nose. Macerated cherry and menthol. The tannins really come out in the mid-palate in a screachy way. One taster says this exhibits a clear 1995 vintage signature, and I agree, but I would have liked more of the Beychevelle notes and less of the 1995 cherries.
1990 Beychevelle:
Probably a corked bottle. Some tasters disagree, but I find TCA to be evident.
1989 Beychevelle:
A mulch nose underneath the dark fruit, as well as a cigarette ash note. Some bretty leather and poop notes. There is something harsh here, and certainly this lacks finesse. Based on this showing, it seems that they missed the potential of this vintage. I would have expected more from a 1989.
* 1988 Beychevelle:
Brown leather saddle. Some menthol. Showing some oxidation in a complex and nuanced way. This wine is for drinking around now. This is showing its age a bit, and I do not suspect it should be held for much longer. The finish has a black truffle character, as well as some lift. There is a real class to the finish. This does get better with some air, but I think ultimately this is a good wine that misses greatness.
* 1986 Beychevelle:
Big love for this. Textbook stuff, showing in the zone right now. Menthol, browned fruit, mushrooms. A vegetable stalk minerality. There is some power, as well as something strict about the tannins. A good wine that is in its stride. Menthol finish. What I enjoy about this the most is the way it comes across the palate- there is an energy to it.
1985 Beychevelle:
Mulchy, green juice, with lots of pickle character. The finish is all gerkins, seemingly. This is one of the strongest pickle juice profiles of the lineup. I find it a bit much, and approaching off-putting. But there is an umami character that is appealing. Some red fruit does come out with some air, and this balances the profile a touch more.
1982 Beychevelle:
Lots of ripeness, really stands out within this lineup for the lushness on the palate. Has a ripe cranberry character that is very noticeable. Lots of black licorice and black truffle as well. Tobacco comes out in a big way on the finish. This is enjoyable enough to drink, but I do not find it special. Rather too plush to be a favorite for me. Some brisker tannins do come forward with additional air and time in the glass.
* 1978 Beychevelle:
Really good, and in a great spot. More structured and less plush with the fruit than the 1982, certainly. Also less scale in terms of big fruit. There is an umami accent in there with the pickle juice. Some chicken coop accents. There is a power inside the structure in a way that I appreciate. The finish is a bit clumsy, and certainly betrays any sort of finesse that may have been exhibited beforehand. Pickle juice umami comes out in a big way on the finish.
* 1975 Beychevelle:
Rock'n! This is awesome, and a great vindication of the Beychevelle style. A classic in its way: not a powerhouse. A stunner as far as I am concerned, and although other tasters are less enthused, I love it. Some juciness to the fruit. Very subtle, with a complex medley of dried and decaying leaves and forest floor. Puckering tannins may turn off some, but I find it all of a piece.
1971 Beychevelle:
Hello, pickle juice. Some softness to the fruit, certainly so in comparison to the 1975. Also simpler than the 75. I suspect that bottles of this, if they all show this way, should already have been drunk up.
1970 Beychevelle from magnum:
As this is definitely showing fresher than the other vintages of similar age in this tasting, and the magnum advantage is clear. A wonderful nose. Has a slight chicken coop note. Fruit still youthful on the palate. Somewhat soft and a little simple in the expression of the fruit, but certainly enjoyable. This picks up more nuance with time in the glass. Some tasters are really drawn to this, and I can understand why, but I find it a little simple overall.
1966 Beychevelle:
Perhaps a bad bottle. Not a good showing.
1964 Beychevelle:
Still has the pickle juice signature, and is clearly Beychevelle, but this isn't holding on well and seems to be on the way out.
Overall, this reinforced for me that old Beychevelle can be very rewarding, especially in terms of what I like palate -wise. I also think Beychevelle has a signature character that is consistent through most of the wines, which is something I can't say of a lot of red Bordeaux, actually. The analogy that most comes to mind for me isn't Bordeaux at all, actually, but rather older Faiveley, in the way the tannins can be firm and green. I found certain vintages more appealing than others, and I think I prefer Beychevelle in the more structured, less fruit driven vintages. However, I did enjoy the 2000. For the prices at which the wines are offered, I would be happy to explore Beychevelle further. It is, I think, a Bordeaux that would appeal to a Piemontese palate.
We went youngest to oldest, and the wines were double decanted starting at 2 hours before the start of service. There were some light snacks served. A * means I particularly enjoyed the wine.
2007 Beychevelle:
Smells good. Green accents, tobacco and menthol on the nose. A bit of browned fruit on the palate. A bit muddied, texutrally. Not showing the distinct notes on the palate that I would like to find. Some tufa like quality. And truffle comes out on the finish, lending some personality to the profile. Overall, not a fan of this right now.
* 2000 Beychevelle:
Smells good. There is a life to the nose, which shows menthol, tobacco, and leather in a sophisticated way. A bit dusty on the nose. Some ripeness on the palate- this shows ripe cranberries, in addition to the signature pickles. A bit murky- perhaps this was a hasty decant.
1998 Beychevelle:
The nose is closed today. The fruit is more approachable than I would expect. This is almost juicy. Also a dark tone to the fruit. The fruit core is dense. There is the signature note of pickles, also some dusty character and allusions of old lace.
1996 Beychevelle:
Decent integration, although a bit of alcohol fumes show at the finish. This seems to speak of St-Julien origins, but I am not senseing so much of Beychevelle here. Specifically, I am not finding some of the green hints I associate with Beychevelle. This has a darker, more black licorice character. There is some cigarette ash that is evident, but overall I would have liked more of the fine detailed notes. Harmonious, but not inspiring.
1995 Beychevelle:
Smells good. A brown note in here, and tobacco on the nose. Macerated cherry and menthol. The tannins really come out in the mid-palate in a screachy way. One taster says this exhibits a clear 1995 vintage signature, and I agree, but I would have liked more of the Beychevelle notes and less of the 1995 cherries.
1990 Beychevelle:
Probably a corked bottle. Some tasters disagree, but I find TCA to be evident.
1989 Beychevelle:
A mulch nose underneath the dark fruit, as well as a cigarette ash note. Some bretty leather and poop notes. There is something harsh here, and certainly this lacks finesse. Based on this showing, it seems that they missed the potential of this vintage. I would have expected more from a 1989.
* 1988 Beychevelle:
Brown leather saddle. Some menthol. Showing some oxidation in a complex and nuanced way. This wine is for drinking around now. This is showing its age a bit, and I do not suspect it should be held for much longer. The finish has a black truffle character, as well as some lift. There is a real class to the finish. This does get better with some air, but I think ultimately this is a good wine that misses greatness.
* 1986 Beychevelle:
Big love for this. Textbook stuff, showing in the zone right now. Menthol, browned fruit, mushrooms. A vegetable stalk minerality. There is some power, as well as something strict about the tannins. A good wine that is in its stride. Menthol finish. What I enjoy about this the most is the way it comes across the palate- there is an energy to it.
1985 Beychevelle:
Mulchy, green juice, with lots of pickle character. The finish is all gerkins, seemingly. This is one of the strongest pickle juice profiles of the lineup. I find it a bit much, and approaching off-putting. But there is an umami character that is appealing. Some red fruit does come out with some air, and this balances the profile a touch more.
1982 Beychevelle:
Lots of ripeness, really stands out within this lineup for the lushness on the palate. Has a ripe cranberry character that is very noticeable. Lots of black licorice and black truffle as well. Tobacco comes out in a big way on the finish. This is enjoyable enough to drink, but I do not find it special. Rather too plush to be a favorite for me. Some brisker tannins do come forward with additional air and time in the glass.
* 1978 Beychevelle:
Really good, and in a great spot. More structured and less plush with the fruit than the 1982, certainly. Also less scale in terms of big fruit. There is an umami accent in there with the pickle juice. Some chicken coop accents. There is a power inside the structure in a way that I appreciate. The finish is a bit clumsy, and certainly betrays any sort of finesse that may have been exhibited beforehand. Pickle juice umami comes out in a big way on the finish.
* 1975 Beychevelle:
Rock'n! This is awesome, and a great vindication of the Beychevelle style. A classic in its way: not a powerhouse. A stunner as far as I am concerned, and although other tasters are less enthused, I love it. Some juciness to the fruit. Very subtle, with a complex medley of dried and decaying leaves and forest floor. Puckering tannins may turn off some, but I find it all of a piece.
1971 Beychevelle:
Hello, pickle juice. Some softness to the fruit, certainly so in comparison to the 1975. Also simpler than the 75. I suspect that bottles of this, if they all show this way, should already have been drunk up.
1970 Beychevelle from magnum:
As this is definitely showing fresher than the other vintages of similar age in this tasting, and the magnum advantage is clear. A wonderful nose. Has a slight chicken coop note. Fruit still youthful on the palate. Somewhat soft and a little simple in the expression of the fruit, but certainly enjoyable. This picks up more nuance with time in the glass. Some tasters are really drawn to this, and I can understand why, but I find it a little simple overall.
1966 Beychevelle:
Perhaps a bad bottle. Not a good showing.
1964 Beychevelle:
Still has the pickle juice signature, and is clearly Beychevelle, but this isn't holding on well and seems to be on the way out.
Overall, this reinforced for me that old Beychevelle can be very rewarding, especially in terms of what I like palate -wise. I also think Beychevelle has a signature character that is consistent through most of the wines, which is something I can't say of a lot of red Bordeaux, actually. The analogy that most comes to mind for me isn't Bordeaux at all, actually, but rather older Faiveley, in the way the tannins can be firm and green. I found certain vintages more appealing than others, and I think I prefer Beychevelle in the more structured, less fruit driven vintages. However, I did enjoy the 2000. For the prices at which the wines are offered, I would be happy to explore Beychevelle further. It is, I think, a Bordeaux that would appeal to a Piemontese palate.
