Winemaker Notes
Amiral de Beychevelle is impetuous and very expressive. Notes of violet emerge in a predominantly floral bouquet. The tannins are powerful and silky. Lovely fresh palate, with a combination of red fruit and spices. Another fine wine in the recent series of excellent vintages of Amiral de Beychevelle.
Blend: 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The second wine of this terrific estate, which has been playing with the stars of the appellation for several years now, the 2020 Amiral De Beychevelle checks in as 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot. It gives up a rich, juicy nose of ripe red and blue fruits, spring flowers, Christmas spice, and tobacco. Medium to full-bodied, it's nicely textured, has velvety tannins, good mid-palate depth, and a great finish. I don't think it's one of the top second wines out there, but it's still certainly an outstanding wine I'd be happy to have on the table.
Barrel Sample: 91-93 -
Decanter
Clearly more intensity and tannic power than the Brulieres, there is a violet edging to the damson colour. The tannins are pretty big, as I am finding in so many second wines in this vintage, as estates make the choice to ensure the first wines have a more sleek and elegant feel, but once you give it time in the glass, the blackberry and loganberry fruit softens.
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James Suckling
Aromas and flavors of currants and ash with some tobacco. It’s medium-bodied with round tannins and a savory finish. Second wine of Beychevelle.
Barrel Sample: 90-91
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
One of the most—if not the most—famous red wine regions of the world, the Medoc reaches from the city of Bordeaux northwest along the left bank of the Gironde River almost all the way to the Atlantic. Its vineyards climb along a band of flatlands, sandwiched between the coastal river marshes and the pine forests in the west. The entire region can only claim to be three to eight miles wide (at its widest), but it is about 50 miles long.
While the Medoc encompasses the Haut Medoc, and thus most of the classed-growth villages (Margaux, Moulis, Listrac, St-Julien, Pauillac and St. Estephe) it is really only those wines produced in the Bas-Medoc that use the Medoc appellation name. The ones farther down the river, and on marginally higher ground, are eligible to claim the Haut Medoc appellation, or their village or cru status.
While the region can’t boast a particularly dramatic landscape, impressive chateaux disperse themselves among the magically well-drained gravel soils that define the area. This optimal soil draining capacity is completely necessary and ideal in the Medoc's damp, maritime climate. These gravels also serve well to store heat in cooler years.