St. Julien- Beychevelle Red Bordeaux Blend

Welcome to Pebble Beach Food & Wine 2025.

2012 in Bordeaux is a great memory as Sofia & I had a great 5 year anniversary trip to Italy where we were married, ending in Bordeaux. Picking Mouton Merlot for a day, lunch with the Baroness, having steak and sipping 82 Mouton. Pinch me is what I said to Sofia.

Saint Julien is the elegant region on the Left Bank. While 2012 was an ok to good vintage it will always be packed with great memories.

Branaire-Ducru in grand vintages is still a great value. Always elegant with this kind of bottle age and more.

Hour decant starting notes.

Tonight smooth, ripe, round, juicy; brambly blackberries/black raspberries, dark cherries, cherries, black plum, some strawberries, raspberries with blueberry tones. Dry tobacco with ash, leather, spice box with some heat, lightly grilled meats, volcanics, moist clay, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, light vanillin, mid berry cola, dark chocolate bar, forest floor with leaves, sandalwood, steeped black tea, bay leaf, dry thyme, mocha powder, dry caramel, crush, dry rock/limestone, dry river stone, bright red flowers mixed with dark withering flowers, nice round acidity and a balanced, smartly tensioned, elegant finish that lasts 90 seconds & lands on herbs & earth.

2001 vintage. A delicious wine from a much underrated vintage. Still very fresh. In a beautiful place now, but no hurry to drink this. Very elegant. Abv. 13%

Plum and dark blue fruit. Some spicy notes, iron. A bit bloody. Quite open now

Perfect drinking window now… dark in color, still showing a hint of primary fruit along with some beautiful secondary notes of cedar, tobacco, leather and ground coffee. Very much identifiable as cab dominated left bank Bordeaux. I like this more than the 95 I had no long ago

One year older, but not as approachable as its younger brother.

91+ points

Wowie wee-wah. Honestly similar to the 89 I had recently. Less evolved but as tannic. Beautiful spot for a drinking vintage wine. Cedar, underripe plum, tobacco, and tar

Happy Thanksgiving!! Deep, opaque red-purple. Staining legs. Medium plus bodied. Dry. Beets, roots, greenery, on the nose. Not overly aromatic. Red fruit on the palate. Smooth tannins. Very nice.

93 points

It’s been awhile since I’ve had a Bordeaux that spoke to me this much. Still a baby for sure, and really really tight at first, but the nose is intoxicating. The most prominent aromas are stone fruit, leather and to a slightly lesser extent vanilla, but if you breathe deep there’s lavender, clove and kind of a marinara sauce character in a sweet, warming way. I’d also say you can virtually smell the acidity. The palate has a crushed velvet texture - not to say that it’s smooth, because at this point in its evolution, the acid is strong and the tannins are yet to fully resolve, but it sits on your tongue in a comfortable if staid manner, like you’ve sunk into an old couch at a blue-blooded university club. It leaves you with red currant, sour plum, and firm blackberry on the long, but not too eager finish. I’m definitely left wanting more...

En Magnum

Chateau located in St. Julien region of France with famous neighbors as Cheateau Gruaud-Larose, Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou & Chateau Beychevelle. The name means "beautiful pebbles". Deep Ruby with aromas of sweet ripe berry fruits & floral notes. Palate shows flavors of blueberry, blackberry and sweet currants. Full ripe tannins, elegant structure, lingering, ending with earthy herbal character. Nice!