2009 Beychevelle

93pts - The finest Beychevelle since the 2003 and probably since the 1982, Beychevelle’s 2009 is opaque purple in color, with a beautiful, floral nose intermixed with black currant fruit, licorice, cedar wood and Christmas fruitcake. Full-bodied yet still elegant and pure, this wine has velvety tannins, a broad, savory mouthfeel, and a very long finish. There is plenty of tannin behind the extravagant fruit, glycerin and texture of this wine, but it is largely concealed. This wine could actually turn out to be even better than my relatively conservative tasting note. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2042.

Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #199, Feb 2012)

93pts - Deep garnet colored, the 2009 Beychevelle begins a little closed, slowly revealing notes of iron ore, tilled soil, fungi and underbrush over a core of blackberry preserves, warm plums and cassis with touches of mocha and camphor. Full-bodied and richly fruited in the mouth, it has a firm texture of ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with a compelling mineral lift. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, March 2019

The 2009 Beychevelle has an intriguing bouquet with kirsch, orange blossom, mocha and earthy aromas, taking time to settle down in the glass but eventually achieving fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, well judged acidity, clean and correct, but maybe missing the flair that I have found on later vintages such as 2015 and 2016. It is a very fine Beychevelle but not profound. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits Ten Year On tasting. - vinous.com, March 2019

[46CS/44M/6CF/4PV] Mineral and fresh ripe fruit nose; very nicely balanced elegant, supple, wine, moderately concentrated, with fine, gentle tannin and fresh acidity; ripe, easy, juicy, and fragrant St Julien, very Bechevelle; gentle complexity, good sweet fruit, light minerality and sweet, cedary length. Complete, restrained and quietly classy. Classic, easy, 'gratifying without being grand' Beychevelle. Will be nice early on because it has such a graceful easygoing personality. Perfect lighter style claret. 2015-25+

An attractive, medium-bodied St.-Julien with plenty of blueberry character, plus touches of cassis and mint and a long, moderately dry finish that gives it a lot of appeal. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019) - Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com, March 2019

Quality 843 | Brand 978 | Economics 969 | buzz brand
Quality: Above the average quality score of its peer group for the 2009 vintage, 775 Brand: Strong restaurant presence, featuring on 29 of the world's top wine lists, including Jean-Georges Economics: Above its peer group average price of £58 for the 2009 vintage Production: Higher yields than its peer group average of 41 hl/ha

- www.wine-lister.com June 2017