Chateau Beychevelle 2005

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The Grand Vin, the 2005 Beychevelle is a gorgeous wine, with plenty of crème de cassis, floral notes, underbrush and forest floor. It is sweet and medium to full-bodied, with ripe tannin and beautiful texture and purity. Drink it over the next 20 years." Drink: 2015 - 2035 - Robert M. Parker, Jr.

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: 93 THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Much better than the previous bottle tasted, this was a lot of fun to have in my glass. The fruit was ripe, the tannins were polished the aromatics too time to get going, but once they did, the cedar, tobacco, thyme, cassis, earth, spice and blackberry aromatics were right where they needed to be. The wine had ample concentration and length, all it needs is more time in the cellar in the cellar to develop its nuances and textures. Else, give it a few hours of air, if you cannot wait."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "Very much in an elegant style, this wine shows soft, almost velvet tannins supporting the ripe fruit. It has richness, a round character masking the dense texture, and setting off the clean red berry fruits and fresh acidity."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Dark crimson. Meaty, savoury nose. Light to mid weight. Irreproachable in terms of balance but it’s difficult to imagine anyone falling madly in love with this. Very dry finish. Sinewy."