Beychevelle has always been a place for men of authority. Little wonder, then, that it has had such a rich and varied history.
Bishop François de Foix-Candale commissioned the first Château building in 1565. This passed to his niece and heir, spouse of Jean-Louis de Nogaret de la Valette, First Duc d'Epernon, favourite of King Henri III, Grand Admiral of France, and later successively governor of Provence and Guyenne.
It was this man who was responsible for the name Beychevelle: ships sailing past his residence had to lower their flags (Beychevelle is an archaic spelling of Baisse Voile, which means, literally, ‘Lower Your Sails’) in homage of the all-powerful Duc d'Epernon.
The château’s emblem, a ship with a griffin at its prow - the griffin being the guardian of the Dionysus’s wine crater in Greek mythology - adorns the château’s parkland, in a magnificent bronze sculpture created in 1989 by Roberto Gnozzi, Professor of the Fine Arts Academy of Rome.
The Foix-Candale family held the property until the end of the seventeenth century.
The eighteenth century saw the beginnings of the grand cru wine so well-known today. Etienne-François de Brassier, succeeded by his son François-Armand, Barons de Beychevelle, were very keen to improve the vineyard and make the most of its excellent location on the banks of the estuary. The central portion of the château, still visible today, was partially rebuilt by François-Armand during the second half of the eighteenth century.
The start of the nineteenth century saw the property in decline, but then Bordeaux wine merchant Pierre-François Guestier, brought Château Beychevelle back to its splendour by winning a gold medal in 1866.
His successor, Armand Heine, cousin of German poet Heinrich Heine, had the north wing of the castle built. He also replanted the vineyard after the phylloxera disaster. His wife, Marie-Amélie Kohn then re-established this vineyard.
French Deputy Charles Achille-Fould takes over the Estate from 1890. He builds upon the prestige of Beychevelle wines and after the First World War presides over a veritable boom in price and demand.
His son Armand, a minister during the early 30s, comes to inherit the Estate. He picks himself a team of competent advisers and appeals to the advice of Professeur Emile Peynaud.
In 1970 the Estate passes to Aymar Achille-Fould, Postal Minister and Deputy. Still advised by Professeur Peynaud, he sets in place a rigorous selection policy which in 1974 results in production of a second wine for the Domaine, called Amiral de Beychevelle.
Increasing running expenses lead Achille-Fould to seek a financial partner, which he finds in Garantie Mutuelle des Fonctionnaires (GMF). GMF takes up a minority shareholding in 1984, and in 1986, on the death of Aymar Achille-Fould purchases a majority of shares in the company.
In 1988 GMF joins forces with SUNTORY of Japan and sets up the Société Grands Millésimes de France which becomes with Azur Assurances sole holder of all shares in Château Beychevelle.
Grands Millésimes de France also manages Château Beaumont, cru Bourgeois Haut-Médoc, the Bordeaux wine merchants bBarrière Frères, château de Bligny at Bligny-les-Beaune (Burgundy) and the Domaine Impérial d'Hétszölö in Tokaj (Hungary).
Visit the
Château Beychevelle website.
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Kosher
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Wine which is produced using organic practices and is free of all synthetic chemicals, antibiotics, hormones and pesticides.
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Biodynamic designation is regulated by Demeter, an international certification organization. Biodynamic agriculture is based on the view of a farm as a self-contained organism. Certified organic vineyards must meet Demeter"s additional criteria for a period of one year before earning the designation "biodynamic."
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International Wine Cellar
Since 1997, the 100% subscriber-supported IWC has also been available in French and Japanese editions.
Wine Enthusiast
Wine Enthusiast Magazine is a lifestyle magazine covering wine, food, spirits, travel and entertaining topics. It was founded in 1988 by Adam and Sybil Strum and reaches 686,000 readers. Its wine ratings, conducted by reviewers in major wine-producing areas of the world, are considered an influential gauge for consumers and professionals in the wine industry.
Wine & Spirits
Wine and Spirits is America's practical guide to the straightforward, enlightened enjoyment of fine wine and and premium spirits. We have for 18 years served customers and marketers alike with a lively mix of wine reviews, features, profiles, food and wine pairings, new product introductions, travel pieces, history, opinion and wine business news.
Burghound
Burghound.com was the first of its kind to offer specialized, and more importantly, exhaustive coverage of a specific wine region. The first Issue was released in January of 2001 and there are now subscribers in more than 50 countries and nearly all 50 states. Allen Meadows spends over four months a year in Burgundy and visits more than 300 domaines during that time.
James Halliday
James is one of the world’s leading authorities on Australian wine, matching intelligent, honest reviews with unparalleled knowledge of, and passion for, the wine industry.
Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine
For thirty-five years, Connoisseurs’ Guide has been the authoritative voice of the California wine consumer. With readers in all fifty states and twenty foreign countries, the Guide is valued by wine lovers everywhere for its honesty and for it strong adherence to the principles of transparency, unbiased, hard-hitting opinions.
James Suckling
I rate wines using the 100-points scale. I have used this point system for close to 25 years. I still believe it is the simplest way to rate a wine, with its origins from grade school in the United States. A wine that I rate 90 points or more is outstanding (A), and worth buying. If I rate a wine 95 points or more (A+), it is a must buy.
View from the Cellar
View From the Cellar, an electronic wine newsletter published bi-monthly by John Gilman.
Wine Journal
Homepage for wine writer, Neal Martin's, "Diary of a Wine Writer".
Malt Advocate
Malt Advocate magazine is America's leading whisky magazine. It's the number one source for whisky information, education and entertainment for whisky enthusiasts.
The Rhone Report
Dedicated to the wines and grapes of the Rhone Valley
Wine Review Online
Wine Review Online was originally conceived by Publisher Robert Whitley as an all-encompassing platform for the many talented wine journalists he came across in his travels as wine columnist for the Creators Syndicate.
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