CHÂTEAU BEYCHEVELLE
2012 4ème Cru Classé Saint Julien
It seems we are more in Jancis' camp on our tasting of this than Mr Parker's. Despite the moment of rich, ripe cherry fruit in the mid palate there is something slightly one dimensional about this year's Beychevelle and after a jot of fun it finishes quite tarry and hard.L&S (May 2013)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
Melted tannins, plenty of autumnal raspberry puree, blackberry, tobacco leaf and cigar. The fruit feels a breath under full ripeness, but this has signature St Julien finesse at 10 years old. Rating: 91 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (Mar 2022)
Philippe Blanc is a winemaker in the ascendency in Saint Julien and he has crafted some lovely Beychevelle wines recently. The Grand Vin is a blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot picked from 27 September until 18 October (16 days picking) and it is being raised in 50% new oak. It has a ripe, rounded, quite generous bouquet with floral, crushed violet scents developing in the glass. The palate has quite a surprising grip on the entry. The IPT of 75 makes its mark – there is real backbone to this Beychevelle and it could be one of the longer-lasting Saint Julien wines. Graphite and a touch of dried herbs on the classic finish show that this could be one of the 2012 worth allocating a berth in your cellar. Rating: 90-92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2013)
A strong, solid effort from Beychevelle, the 2012 exhibits a deep ruby/plum color in addition to a sweet perfume of mulberries, black currants, jammy cherries, vanilla and damp earth. With good power and more depth than many Medocs as well as the estate’s hallmark finesse and elegance, this excellent, possibly outstanding wine possesses sweet tannin and more mid-palate depth than many of its peers. Rating: 89-91 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (Apr 2013)
The price is sometimes distorted by the appeal of the Chinese dragon on the label, but this fourth growth is rarely less than reliable. The 2012 is made in a classic style, with elegant, leafy fruit, some tobacco spice, refreshing acidity and enough tannin and structure to age. The freshness of the wine is very attractive. Drink: 2020-30. Rating: 92 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2013)
Particularly dark purple. Minerals and oyster shells on the nose. Then unexpectedly sweet on the palate. Gratingly green on the finish. A bit brutal. Rating: 16 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2013)
Dense, quite precise Cabernet fruit, a bit herby and green as Beychevelle always is en primeur, but St-Julien class is there for the future. Drink: 2017 - 2028. Rating: 16.75 Steven Spurrier (Apr 2013)
Rating: 17 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Apr 2013)
Features plum and blackberry fruit, with ample singed anise and fig paste notes. Juicy and briary, this delivers solid, chewy grip. Not as dense as in top years, but true to to the house style. Rating: 89-92 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2013)
Château Beychevelle
St Julien Quatrième cru 1855 Jean-Louis Nogaret de la Valette, the first Duke of Epernon, was a powerful man. He was an Admiral and the Governor of Guyenne under King Henri III and in deference to him, so it is said, ships passing his estate on the River Gironde would dip their sails - this "baisse-voile" (or "bacha velo" in the local Gascon tongue) became "Beychevelle", and accounts for the presence of a rather fanciful ship on the label. The griffon at the prow of said ship echos the griffon in Greek mythology who guarded Dionysus's wine goblet. The fine château was built in the 18th Century, extended in the 19th, and has recently been restored. The vineyards are 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot with a little each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Wines are aged in wood for 18 months, with 50% of the barriques being new each year.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those of the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do call us, but see the 'practical notes' below.
Ordering
Prices are per case as listed 'in bond London'.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment from you to buy the wines you order on release, subject to the price being below the upper price of the estimated band on our website. You may also set your own upper price limit, lower or higher than ours. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability. Providing this firm commitment to us effectively gives you priority.
Wines listed on the website (after any pre-orders and allocations have been fulfilled) can be ordered in the usual way via the website order form or by email or telephone 020 7221 1982, always subject to stock remaining.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are contractually binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of the confirmation date, apart from pre-orders which are binding if the release price is below the top estimate or other price you have set.
Invoices are raised at the In Bond price, excluding any duty and VAT which will become payable at the prevailing rates on arrival of the wine if required duty paid.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or credit transfer. We reserve the right to charge 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £1000, orders below this total will be charged £16.50+ VAT when the wine invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery for 2016 Bordeaux primeurs will probably be completed by October 2019, but we make no guarantee as to specific delivery times, and some of the Sauternes may be later.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes) for immediate payment. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option, but do please note that confirmed orders are still binding as above even if the final invoice has not been issued.
When the wine is shipped, unless previously specified we will assume that delivery is to be to bonded storage with Elephant Storage, but in any case, we will contact you requesting any alternative instructions. If you have another bonded delivery address you would like the wine to go to, please tell us at the time of ordering. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue invoices at the rates prevailing at the time for the excise duty (currently £25.98 per case) and the VAT (currently at 20%) on the total of the wine cost and the duty.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the bottle size you want. Even if a wine is only listed in one size, you can order any bottle or case size you want if the property supplies it, but you must order the case/bottle size you require and check that the correct size has been invoiced.
Additional charges are as follows:-
- +£15 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£15 per case of 6 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£35 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£45 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.