Château Beychevelle 2023

The 2023 Beychevelle has turned out especially well this year, exhibiting a more integrated, seductive style than recent vintages that were constructed in a punchier, more extracted register. Offering up aromas of cassis and plums mingled with notions of pen ink, violets and pencil shavings, it’s medium to full-bodied, broad and fleshy, with a deep core of fruit and a classy, suave profile that foregrounds the estate’s prime vineyard holdings on the plateau around Ducru-Beaucaillou. It’s a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot that represents 50% of the estate’s production. Score – 93-94. (William Kelley, robertparker.com)