I decided to splurge (for my budget) on this bottle at a local Brooklyn restaurant that was offering a two for the price of one entree deal. The menu is decidedly French bistro with the usual suspects of steak frites, moules frites, confit de canard, salad vert, etc., and the wine list is French through and through, deep in Bordeaux. I was deciding between the '99 Beychevelle (which I have never had) and '95 Prieure Lichine. In the tiny bistro wine glasses it was tough to get a good nose out of the wine but it did have a fine scent of toasted oak, earth and current. As it opened up over the next 45 minutes it took on a much more complexity and developed richer tones of berry and even a little bit of coffee bean. Despite it being very out outside and the wine being a tad too warm, it was immensely enjoyable with my steak frites. I found it to have nice suppleness, and structure with pleasant tannins that made for a lingering finish after each sip. For $56 off the list I was satisfied and would definitely consider purchasing Beychevelle in the future.
TN: 1999 Beychevelle
Jun 17, 2004
5 Replies
$56 on a wine list in a restaurant? That's a pretty good deal considering the typical retail price may be around $40+ by now. But I have never been much of a Beychevelle fan - I have always found it to be somewhat lean and uninspiring compared to the fat, chocolatey aromas of a Branaire-Ducru, which (at least here in Germany) sells for considerably less money. That said, I must admit that I have not tasted Beychevelle for a long time, so probably things have changed.
Arne
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Both are far too young! I wouyld rather drink a cheaper C d Rhone than drink these this young. Ron Lel
I haven't had the Beychevelle, but '99s as a rule are an earlier-drinking vintage IMHO. L-Poyferre (another St.-Julien which is usually less forward than Beychevelle) is drinking fairly well, and though it will last 10 more, I don't think I'd push much past that. With the exception of first-growths, no '99 I've tried hasn't seemed at least approachable. I like the vintage and think it will age better than say '97, but a good restaurant choice.
1995 Medocs, however, are almost all quite hard and closed at moment. I haven't had Prieure Lichine, and Margaux is probably more open than more northerly communes, but I wouldn't chance it.Just my 2¢. Dale
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I haven't had the Beychevelle, but '99s as a rule are an earlier-drinking vintage IMHO. L-Poyferre (another St.-Julien which is usually less forward than Beychevelle) is drinking fairly well, and though it will last 10 more, I don't think I'd push much past that. With the exception of first-growths, no '99 I've tried hasn't seemed at least approachable. I like the vintage and think it will age better than say '97, but a good restaurant choice. Good, but not great price- '99 Beychevelle is around NYC at $28-30. $56 is very fair.
1995 Medocs, however, are almost all quite hard and closed at moment. I haven't had Prieure Lichine, and Margaux is probably more open than more northerly communes, but I wouldn't chance it.Just my 2¢. Dale
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I happened to have the 1997 with my wife this afternoon :-) No notes, but a dense bluish red wine with a silky mouthfeel, nice ripe berry fruit, prominent tannins. No cedar wood, more like cocoa - a very nice, elegant little wine. However, the last glass showed more of tannins and acidity, less fruit, which leads me to believe that this vintage may be somewhat shortlived. Not a candidate for prolonged storage, imho. Anders
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