Château Beychevelle

Bishop François de Foix-Candale built the estate in 1565. Under Henri III it was the fief of the dukes of Épernon, the first of whom was Jean-Louis Nogaret de La Valette, Grand Admiral of France. In the estate's account, ships passing the Duke of Épernon's estate had to lower their sails to show their allegiance, and the name Beychevelle derives from the Gascon Bécha Véla, in French Baisse-Voile, 'lower the sail'; the estate dates this to 1587. Writing in Decanter in 2019, Jane Anson cited Bordeaux négociant Bernard Ginestet's suggestion that the name was attached to the estate at least 200 years before the duke. Following a devastating winter, Jean-Baptiste d'Abadie, President of the Parliament of Bordeaux, inherited Beychevelle in 1709 and replanted the vineyard. Étienne-François de Brassier inherited the estate in 1717 and built a private port on the estuary to develop trade. The château was rebuilt by the marquis de Brassier in 1757, and in 1787 Baroness Delphine-Catherine de Brassier took the helm and held the estate together through the French Revolution. In 1825 Pierre-François Guestier, merchant and mayor of Saint-Julien, acquired Château Beychevelle, restructured the vineyard and modernised the installations. The estate received Grand Cru Classé status in 1855 and was classified a Fourth Growth. Parisian banker Armand Heine and his wife Marie Amélie Kohn built the château's north wing in 1875, and from 1890 Marie-Louise Heine and Charles Achille-Fould managed the estate. In 1974, spurred on by Aymar Achille-Fould, the estate created its second wine, Amiral de Beychevelle, and in 1990 it created the Beychevelle Foundation, dedicated to contemporary art. Château Beychevelle is owned by Grands Millésimes de France. In 2011 the Castel Group arrived alongside Suntory, which the estate's history gives as owner from 1989. In the 2011 deal Castel took a 50% stake and Suntory raised its stake from 37% to 50%, giving the two partners equal shares.

• 1565: Bishop François de Foix-Candale built the estate; 1587: the estate's date for the 'lower the sail' name under the Duke of Épernon.
• 1709: Jean-Baptiste d'Abadie inherited and replanted the vineyard; 1717: Étienne-François de Brassier inherited and built a private port; 1757: the château was rebuilt by the marquis de Brassier.
• 1825: acquired by Pierre-François Guestier, merchant and mayor of Saint-Julien; 1855: Grand Cru Classé, Fourth Growth.
• 1974: Amiral de Beychevelle created; 1990: the Beychevelle Foundation for contemporary art.
• 2011: the Castel Group joined Suntory, with each holding 50%; the estate is owned by Grands Millésimes de France.

Philippe Blanc is director of Château Beychevelle, and he was the estate's director at the time of the 2011 deal that brought in the Castel Group. As of August 2019, Romain Ducolomb was technical director. Originally from Burgundy, Ducolomb studied at Dijon university and joined Beychevelle in 2012 from Château Clinet in Pomerol.

• Director: Philippe Blanc.
• Technical director: Romain Ducolomb (as of August 2019), who joined Beychevelle in 2012 from Château Clinet in Pomerol.

Château Beychevelle spreads over 250 hectares on the left bank of the Gironde, of which 90 hectares are planted with vines, in the heart of the Saint-Julien appellation. The rest of the estate is made up of grasslands grazed by Limousin cattle, alongside pine, ash, poplar and walnut forests. The Gironde estuary, visible from the château's front steps, tempers extremes of temperature. At the heart of the vineyard lie two plateaus of deep Garonne gravel formed during the Pleistocene period: lean, well-drained soils of pebbles and sand. The vines have an average age of 38 years and are planted at 8,300 to 10,000 vines per hectare. The vineyard is planted to 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. As of 2019, a Beychevelle plot in Cussac, just over the border in AOC Haut-Médoc, went entirely into Amiral de Beychevelle. Brulières de Beychevelle comes from a vineyard five kilometres from the château, in a cooler terroir of the Haut-Médoc with a more temperate climate.

• 250 hectares in all, 90 hectares under vine, in the Saint-Julien appellation.
• Two plateaus of deep Pleistocene Garonne gravel, of pebbles and sand.
• 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot; average vine age 38 years; 8,300 to 10,000 vines per hectare.
• A plot in Cussac (AOC Haut-Médoc) went entirely into Amiral de Beychevelle as of 2019.

The vat room was designed in 2016 by the architect Arnaud Boulain and is set partially below ground to keep a naturally consistent temperature. Its floor-to-ceiling glass windows face the D2 Route des Châteaux. The cellars were unveiled for the 2016 harvest, and the new cellar doubled the vat space available. The vat room comprises 59 tanks, including 37 tapered, double-walled stainless-steel vats, and each plot is vinified separately. Filling is by gravity, and extraction uses rack and return, pump-overs and punch-downs. Below ground, the barrel cellars hold some 3,000 barrels in a space inspired by the maritime world. As of 2019, changes introduced under Philippe Blanc and Romain Ducolomb included malolactic fermentation in barrel, manual punching down and keeping the wine on the lees throughout ageing. Élevage lasts 18 months, with 70% new barrels, and the château's production is 240,000 to 260,000 bottles.

• Vat room by architect Arnaud Boulain, 2016: 59 tanks, including 37 tapered, double-walled stainless-steel vats; each plot vinified separately.
• Gravity filling; rack and return, pump-overs and punch-downs.
• Barrel cellars below ground hold some 3,000 barrels.
• Élevage of 18 months with 70% new barrels; production of 240,000 to 260,000 bottles.

Château Beychevelle holds ISO 14001 certification through the Environmental Management System (SME) collective initiative under the auspices of the Bordeaux Wine Trade Council (CIVB), and level 3 High Environmental Value (HVE) certification. Herbicides were discontinued entirely from 2008, CMR substances were removed in 2015, and endocrine disruptors have been excluded since 2019. The estate produces its own compost and uses only fertilisers compatible with organic farming. The château's gardens have held EcoJardin certification since November 2024, and in September 2025 the estate obtained the Cultivons Demain (Growing Tomorrow) CSR label at level 2.

• ISO 14001 and level 3 HVE certification.
• No herbicides from 2008; CMR substances removed in 2015; endocrine disruptors excluded since 2019.
• EcoJardin certification for the gardens since November 2024; Cultivons Demain CSR label (level 2) since September 2025.

The estate makes three wines. Château Beychevelle, the grand vin, is made from the finest vineyard parcels and a rigorous selection; the estate calls it a true wine for ageing that reveals itself after around ten years. Amiral de Beychevelle, the second wine, created in 1974, is designed to be enjoyed young while having the potential to age for up to 15 years. Brulières de Beychevelle is made exclusively from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and is vinified and matured in a dedicated cellar. The estate publishes technical sheets for the grand vin from 2000 to 2025, for Amiral de Beychevelle from 2008 to 2023 and for Brulières de Beychevelle from 2015 to 2023.

• Château Beychevelle: the grand vin, from the finest parcels and a rigorous selection.
• Amiral de Beychevelle: the second wine, created in 1974.
• Brulières de Beychevelle: Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from a Haut-Médoc vineyard five kilometres from the château.

Writing in Decanter in August 2019, Jane Anson found the Fourth Growth shaking off its 'reliable but uninspiring' reputation and called it 'one of the most vibrant in Bordeaux right now.' She added that Beychevelle has the highest proportion of Merlot of any of the classified estates in Saint-Julien, at 40% in the vineyard.

The estate characterises its grand vin as striking 'a refined balance between strength and elegance,' with black fruits, spices and subtle wooded notes. In its words, Amiral de Beychevelle is floral, spicy and vibrantly fresh, with structured yet silky tannins, and Brulières de Beychevelle is a clean, fruity wine with notes of blackcurrants, red fruits and spices on a round, balanced palate.

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.beychevelle.com/en/, https://www.beychevelle.com/en/becha-vela-2/the-history/, https://www.beychevelle.com/en/rooted-in-the-land/the-vineyard/, https://www.beychevelle.com/en/rooted-in-the-land/the-cellar/, https://www.beychevelle.com/en/rooted-in-the-land/our-commitments/, https://www.beychevelle.com/en/subtle-elegance/chateau-beychevelle/, https://www.beychevelle.com/en/subtle-elegance/amiral-de-beychevelle/, https://www.beychevelle.com/en/subtle-elegance/brulieres-de-beychevelle/, https://www.beychevelle.com/en/technical-sheets/. Official body: Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, https://www.ugcb.net/en/chateaux/chateau-beychevelle. Secondary sources: Decanter (Jane Anson, last updated 27 May 2015, 25 June 2015 and 12 August 2019) and Wine Spectator (22 February 2011). Last verified 2026-10-19. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.