The 1975 Château Beychevelle is a classic Saint-Julien that embodies the elegance of its era. Aged in cement tanks with no new oak, it retains impressive color and grace for its age. Expect delicate structure with subtle menthol, spice, and aged blackcurrant notes. Though firm and muscular in youth, it has aged into a refined, old-school claret that showcases the finesse of the vintage. A lovely bottle for those who appreciate mature Bordeaux.

Decanter | D 88

The wine was aged in cement tanks in the 1970s, again with no new oak. This has maintained an excellent depth of colour, and has aged gracefully. There is a touch of menthol on the finish, and overall this is one of the most delicate of this lineup. A lovely, classic claret, very much of its age and appellation. It will have benefited from greater selection in 1975, as the second wine Amiral de Beychevelle was created in 1974. As an aside, owner Archille-Fould gave another interesting gift to the Médoc besides this delicious wine – he was the French Postmaster General and in the mid 1970s moved the phone book printing facility from Paris to Saint-Laurent-Médoc, creating 300 jobs.

Closure: Natural cork
Alcohol: 12.00%

The Wine Advocate | RP 86
Published: Jan 1, 1998
Drink: 1989-2005

Early in this wine's life, it tasted precocious and forward for the normally tannic, hard wines of the vintage. However, this wine has now firmed up, and it should turn out to be the longest-lived Beychevelle of the seventies. Dark ruby, with a ripe, spicy, leather-and-black currant-scented bouquet, this full-bodied, weighty, muscular Beychevelle is atypically powerful. Whether it will ever resolve all the tannins remains debatable. Anticipated maturity: Now-2005. Last tasted, 10/89.

Beychevelle.com

Ever since it was first produced, and down through the various vintages, Château Beychevelle has reflected the elegance and finesse of Saint Julien's finest terroirs.Graceful and complex, with a tremendous aromatic richness, Château Beychevelle is made from the best plots in the vineyard and undergoes a rigorous selection process.It reveals its character after about ten years, and can be kept for several decades, depending on the vintage.