Background

Château Beychevelle has 250 hectares of land, about 90 of which are planted with vines. The rest consists of grassland where Limousin cows graze, and of pine forests, poplar, ash and walnut trees. The vines have an average age of 30 years and are closely planted, with densities of 8,300 to 10,000 vines per hectare. The heart of the vineyard is located on two plateaus of deep Garonne gravel from the Gunzian period, on the edge of the Gironde, providing ideal conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon.

Tasting notes

Elegant and powerful, expressing aromas of red fruit, blackcurrants and spices.

Winemaking

Like the two previous years, the weather in 2008 was quite rainy from March to mid-September. However, total sunshine was very close to average. Bud break became widespread in the first week of April and was fairly even. Merlot started flowering at the end of May, confirming that this would be a relatively late-ripening vintage. Véraison began on 22-23 July and took place throughout the vineyard in the month of August. The unseasonable weather caused véraison to be slow and spread out. Harvest started on the 29th of September. The grapes were of excellent quality. This was the first time in the estate’s history that the natural alcoholic degree was so high: more than 14.4% for Merlot and 12.5% for the Cabernets.

Food pairings

Herb crusted saddle of lamb, Steak Diane, mature hard cheeses.