Château Beychevelle

Château Beychevelle, the "Versailles of the Médoc", could only be expected to produce excellent wine. This outstanding 90-hectare vineyard, planted on deep, Garonnegravel soil, has a winegrowing tradition dating from the Middle Ages. More modern selection, winemaking, and ageing techniques also contribute towards the finished wine's perfection. Château Beychevelle is a Saint-Julien Great Growth, combining elegance with character and finesse with balance. Its lovely, ruby-red colour, fine structure, and subtle bouquet have earned this wine a high reputation all over the world. Château Beychevelle has been granted the double accreditation of “Terra Vitis” and “Sustainable Viticulture”. Beychevelle is called the "Versailles of the Médoc" as a tribute to the château's elegant classical architecture and French gardens. The château's character has been tempered by three centuries of history in the hands of several powerful families, influential in the economic, political, and cultural life of the Bordeaux area, and even further afield.

Château Beychevelle, A prestigious Cru Classé whose character has been forged by three centuries of history.  Nowhere does the word Château in its noblest sense ring as true as it does at Beychevelle. The elegance of its classical architecture makes it a jewel in the crown of the Médoc, coveted since its creation by the powerful families who have successively marked the economic, political and cultural life of Bordeaux and the region. Under Henri III, Beychevelle was the fief of the Dukes of Epernon, particularly the first of them: Jean-Louis Nogaret de la Valette. This Admiral and Governor of Guyenne was all-powerful; according to legend, the boats that passed before his Château had to lower their sails as a sign of allegiance.Hence the name "Baisse-Voile" (lowering of sails), which was to become Beychevelle, and the emblem of the Château, the ship with a prow in the shape of a griffin guarding Dionysus' cellar. Built in the 17th century, reconstructed by the Marquis de Brassier in 1757 and extended by the Heine family at the end of the 19th century,

Château Beychevelle has recently been restored to its original splendour. Classical in its lines, the imposing façade, topped with a majestic triangular pediment and with wings on each side, is embellished with volutes and vases that give it an exuberantly baroque appearance. Today owned by Grands Millésimes de France(Castel and Suntory Groups), Château Beychevelle offers a unique setting for the organisation of prestigious events.

Careful monitoring, observation and care of the environment are mottos which particularly concern Château Beychevelle. The ownership together with the château’s dynamic management team have implemented new working methods to respect the principles of “TerraVitis”. Today this double accreditation, proudly gained at the end of 2005, reinforces our château principles to make all possible efforts towards quality and environmental-friendly production methods.

“Terra Vitis” and “Sustainable Viticulture” guaranties : to provide high quality grapes produced with environmental-friendly methods, reducing as much as possible the use of chemicals in order to be harm-free for the environment and human health to justify various treatments which take into account natural factors and the use of biological methods every time possible, to keep a track-record in the vineyard and the cellar to respect the Terra Vitis chart and to be able to answer any technical enquiry by our customers.

Examples of actions made by Château Beychevelle : all waste disposals are collected in official receptacles with traceability, dramatic reduction of use of chemical herbicides replaced by mechanical weed control and permanent grass between the rows, plantation of new hedges to favour natural fauna harbours, treatment of all effluents (from vineyard or from cellar activities) with no disposal in the environment

Vineyard management:
Minimum pesticide approach and organic farming for 1/3 of the vineyard. No herbicides are used
ISO 14001 certified production

Harvests:

Selective manual harvests, by grape variety, the age of the vines and the terroir.Triple sorting of the grapes: in the vineyard, then on reception of the harvest with sorting of the bunches followed by optical sorting.

Vinification:

Each vinification is adapted to the plot and conditions during the vintage. Our objective is to transcend the terroir, and to produce exceptional wines, while at the same respecting the terroir's identity.

Ageing and fining:

In French oak barrels for 18 months for Beychevelle, and 12 months for Amiral de Beychevelle. Château Beychevelle is aged in 50% new oak barrels and Amiral de Beychevelle in 30%. The wine is then fined with egg whites, with traditional racking by candle light.

Bottling:

The wines are bottled in the spring. 

Beychevelle has always been a home to the arts. A committed patron, the Duke of Epernon invited Molière and his troupe of actors to perform at the château.
Subsequent owners of Beychevelle continued to encourage artistic creation, embellishing the château’s architecture, and adding further paintings, furniture, sculptures, and features to the gardens.
Beychevelle gradually came to be known as the Versailles of Bordeaux, and the château developed a special relationship with the Baroque Music Centre in Versailles.

Established in 1990, the Fondation Beychevelle and its International Centre of Contemporary Art presents art in all its forms (fine arts, cinema, music, dance, literature, new technology, photography, and theatre). Beychevelle continued to celebrate art in 1993, welcoming Equinoxe, an event dedicated to screenplay writing chaired by Jeanne Moreau.

And today Château Beychevelle continues to welcome artists who come to draw inspiration from the remarkable environment.
Every year, for 15 years, an exhibition in partnership with Mécénart is organized at the château. Beychevelle also serves as a venue for classical music and Jazz concerts.
We can be confident that the château will continue to impress visitors with artistic creations and events for years to come…

Château Beychevelle’s soul has been forged by three centuries of history. Its owners have always sought to bring elegance and prestige to the château and its vineyard.

Since its construction in 1565 by Bishop François of Foix-Candale, then the reign of the Dukes of Epernon and its rebuilding in 1757 by the Marquis de Brassier, followed by the Achille-Fould family until 1986, the château has never ceased to amaze, both in terms of its wines and its exceptional environment.

To enhance the well-being of our guests, La Table de Beychevelle was completely redecorated and modernized by interior designer Jacqueline Nau-Royer, who has successfully preserved its 300 year-old character.

La Table de Beychevelle is more like a family house than a hotel or guest house : here, guests can really feel at home.

Consisting of 11 rooms and 2 suites, two reception rooms, a meeting room and a high-tech conference room, la Table de Beychevelle is also available for exclusive private functions.

Christine Pinault and her team will be delighted to welcome you in this superb setting