by
Château Beychevelle’s age- worthy grand vin is made with grapes from the finest vineyard plots of the Château. (Photo: Château Beychevelle)
Everyone loves a good story — and Château Beychevelle has a good one to tell. A wine producer since the Middle Ages, Beychevelle took on its current name, which means baisse voile (lower the sails), after being acquired by the first Duke of Epernon through marriage in the early 17th century. As a Grand- Admiral of France and a confidante of King Henry III, all ships lowered their sails as a sign of respect when passing the estate.
A patron of the arts, the second Duke of Epernon added to the legend of Beychevelle by inviting actors such as the young Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, otherwise known as Molière, to stay and perform at the château.
Sold a myriad of times over the years, Bordeaux’s most impressive property — it’s not called the Versailles of the Médoc for nothing — is now owned by Grands Millésimes de France, a subsidiary of the Castel and Suntory groups, both massive players in today’s international wine and spirits market.
As much as the 4ème Cru Classé could coast on its oft-rehashed myth and legend, the wine quality has improved, especially over the last decade and certainly since it completed its new cellars in 2016. “A quiet revolution” is how Bordeaux reviewer Jane Anson described the winemaking efforts after a vertical tasting at the château. Today’s grand vin is a powerful, fleshy, and structured wine, and is one of Bordeaux’s most top traded wines with a price performance mirroring demand.
The constant over the last quarter century has been Managing Director Philippe Blanc who has ensured the pursuit of quality has remained in balance with preserving the ecology of its vineyard, parks, and prairies for future generations. During his recent visit to Singapore, he spoke with The Peak.
Credit: Philippe Blanc. (Photo: Château Beychevelle)
With so many vintages under your belt, what still motivates and excites you?
My passion for Beychevelle is still 100 per cent. It’s such a beautiful place. I love meeting people on the property and abroad and sharing how the wines are made. The fact that the château faces so many challenges today — human resources, communications, environmental issues — has never bored or stopped me from being present.
Would you say that environmental issues are among your chief concerns as a winemaker?
They are a concern for every citizen around the world. It’s not just for us. As Bordeaux winemakers, we’ve actually benefited because we’ve reached the stage where the temperature is perfect for fruit maturity. However, as a regular citizen, it’s worrying. Consequently, our grandchildren will witness weather phenomena we haven’t encountered before, and they’ll miss out on everyday activities, such as skiing or seeing animals in the wild. Working on a property that has produced wine for centuries obliges us to respect and protect the landscape, the soil, and the buildings, all of which are part of our heritage. It’s a non- written contract, but our role is to pass the château to the next generation in a better state than it was put in our hands.
Credit: A place owned by powerful men, the “Versailles of the Médoc” produces wines from the Saint-Julien appellation. (Photo: Château Beychevelle
2022 was a historic year of heat, drought, and forest fires in Bordeaux. With the harvest in, what is the vintage’s potential?
We are looking forward to a magnificent vintage. The blending sessions have begun, and the decision will be made in January. Even though the growing conditions were so hot, the wines are dark, rich, complex, and fine. Nature is surprising! The only major drawback is that the volume is significantly lower since we lost more than 30 per cent of the crop.
Longevity is a hallmark of a good vintage. Which is the oldest Beychevelle you’ve tried?
The oldest I’ve tasted is 1899, a marvellous vintage. However, the oldest bottle in our cellar is 1852. The wines from the 1920s are incredibly good, and we taste them quite often. The vintages of 1921, 1926, 1928, and 1929 are great. This is why we can be sure that the wines we produce in recent years will last 30 or 40 years. A great Bordeaux always ages gracefully.
How do you view fine wine as a commodity and an investment?
Wine is often viewed as both a passion and an investment, especially in cities like London and Singapore. But wine, I believe, is first and foremost to be enjoyed and shared. As winemakers, that is what we work towards every day. The value of a Château Beychevelle is consistently on the rise, but we never consider the wine a commodity or a blue chip. What we want is to ensure good value, with its price making sense all along the line from the château, through the middle stages of negociants, importers, distributors, to the final consumer.
