Chateau Beychevelle 2005

Professional Ratings

• 93 Wine Enthusiast
  Very much in an elegant style, this wine shows soft, almost velvet tannins supporting the ripe fruit. It has richness, a round character masking the dense texture, and setting off the clean red berry fruits and fresh acidity.
• 92 Wine & Spirits
  We hit Beychevelle at a fragrant, gentle moment in its evolution. With a few hours of air, the wine was a lithe beauty, its cool red fruit giving a soft, sculpted feel. My notes are all about elegance, finesse and restraint-similar to the harmony this showed en primeur. With another day of air, the power of the tannins shows more directly, tarry and strong enough to sustain this wine for a decade or more.
• 90 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  While this is a strong effort from a property that too often does not live up to its pedigree, I had hoped the 2005 Beychevelle would merit an even higher score. A deep ruby/purple hue is accompanied by a sweet perfume of roasted herbs, black cherries, and even blacker fruits. The wine is medium to full-bodied with sweet tannin, good acidity, and a fruitcake-like spiciness and earthiness. Pure and long with a tannic clout that is neither intrusive nor excessive, this elegant, powerful effort should be at its finest between 2017-2030.